Monday, June 9, 2008

Potato Salad~Everybody Makes It Different

I was just throwing together some potato salad and I was thinking about all the different ways people make this traditional summer dish. When I say "throwing together" that's the way it is for me.  I boil some potatoes...if I buy them special, I buy the white or red potatoes but on days like today (or yesterday because that's when I thought of it) I just boil some old brown Russet spuds.  And of course some eggs.  Once they cool off in the refrigerator, then I throw the salad together. Peel and chop up the spuds & hard boiled eggs, a squirt or two of mustard, some dill pickle juice (I can't stand cut up pickles in potato salad), cut up little green onion, add a dash of salt, pepper, garlic powder and celery salt. Put in a small can of drained sliced olives and a few blops of Best Foods Mayonnaise (Hellman's on the east side of the Rocky Mts) and mix together. Scoop out into a suitable bowl, sprinkle paprika on the top, cover & back into the fridge until time to eat it.  It never tastes the same because I don't measure the wet ingredients.   That's the way my mom cooked, and in most cases I do the same thing.  Oh and if I'm taking it to a get together, I do boil extra eggs, slice them and place them neatly on top for decoration (or something?)

When Bob makes it, he takes a separate bowl and puts the mayo, etc in it and carefully adds the other wet ingredients, keeps tasting it to make sure it just right.  He spends at least an hour or more making a batch of potato salad, when I throw it together in like 15 minutes.  He carefully dices up dill pickles, again making sure he has just enough.  Drives me nuts!

I've been to picnics and potlucks where some people put diced celery, etc. in it.  And the stuff you buy at the deli counter in the store is so nasty...it always has a bitter taste from whatever they add for a preservative.  I never buy it from a deli counter.  I'd rather go without.

I guess you could say potato salad is as individual as we are, all a little different in some way.   By the way, there's no picnic here today, it's windy & rainy again and not that warm.  But if I wait for summer to make a batch of potato salad, it will never happen.    Besides it will taste real good with the broccoli  and salmon steaks I'm cooking for dinner tonight.   Until next time......Linda

P.S. the potato salad in the picture is not mine.

P.S. #2  I haven't gotten one single alert today, so don't be mad if I don't get by your journal to comment.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've only had one alert all day Linda but I got yours! AOL up to it's tricks again?! I like bits of bacon and dill weed in my potato salad, yours sounds good! Jeannette xx  

Anonymous said...

I read on' Magic Smoke' that alerts are down ,Oh gosh Im going to make your potato salad tomorrow it souds great........... hmmm what can we have with it lol ? ...love Jan xx

Anonymous said...

Alerts are messed up today.  Your's was the only one I got all day.  You must be special.  You are the only one I've ever run accross (besides my mom) that puts olives in their potato salad.  I do make my sauce seperate because I use a little bit of mustartd (with a tad of sugar in it to tame it) and mayo and mix it well for color.  I do not measure though and I do use celery seed also.  Don't want any crunch in my potato salad.  Have a nice meal.
Hugs, Joyce

Anonymous said...

I throw mine together too. Boil potatoes/eggs and let them cool after they are done.  Then cut them up and add Miracle whip, mustard, milk, sugar, and just a touch of vinegar all into a bowl and mix...I never measure I just know about how much.  

Anonymous said...

Man, the last two days, I've learned three different recipes and thay all sound great. The funny thing is that after a party I went to on Saturday, I had decided I wanted to learn how to make it.

Jimmy

Anonymous said...

I love potato salad, mine is close to yours but no olives or celery salt or green onion although I may try it now, I really like the idea of extra eggs on top to make it look fancy. I just toss mine together to.
Barbara

Anonymous said...

I love potato salads too, and like you I don't buy at the deli counter.  

The alerts are down today - or were since I got yours.  There is an entry about it in the Magic Smoke journal.

Monica

Anonymous said...

I love potato salad!  I am the only one in my family who will eat it however!  I make it anyway.  I do mine a little different.  Of course!  I learned from my grandma who doesn't cook anymore (sniff, sniff!).  
Traci

Anonymous said...

Hi Linda

I had to eat something out of a pot in a show a few years ago.  The crew person who was responsible for making it, made the most delicious potato salad.  It was so good I wanted to stop the show and just eat it.  Unfortunately I could only get a couple of spoonfulls in me before we had to move on.  But I sure remember that dish.

                                                DB

Anonymous said...

yum, what a delicious dinner!!! those salmon steaks scrumptious!!

I make my potato salad somewhat similar to yours but simpler. I just do potatoes, boiled eggs and I will put cut pickles in it along with a little pickle juice in with the mayonaise; haven't made it in years though; used to always make a big batch for my niece and nephew's yearly birthday parties when my SIL would have a barbece or pool party; I agree with you; I am not fond of store-bought potato salad

as you probably figured out by now, alerts were down all day; that was so weird to sign on and have no alerts waiting

betty

Anonymous said...

Your version of potato salad sounds delicious Linda and quite like how I make my own.  I do add a bit of chopped cucumber and some chopped celery, but, like, you I don't like chopped pickle in mine.  No recipe, just thrown together to taste, just like my mom always did.  I think you're right through there's probably as many versions of potato salad as there are people!!
Have a great day, hope it warms up for you soon!
Marie
http://ayearatoakcottage.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

I don't make it at all. It's not that I don't like it, I just try and stay clear of mayo.
http://journals.aol.co.uk/acoward15/andy-the-bastard/

Anonymous said...

(I wasn't getting alerts either!)  I don't like deli potato or macaroni salad, they just don't make it right.  Your recipe sounds just the way my mom makes hers ~ she just "throws" it all together and uses much of the same ingredients you do.  I have never made it but I do enjoy eating it!!!  I was watching the weather channel and saw you guys had some high winds & damage (Tacoma?)- this should be the last day for our horrendous heat!  Can you see me dancing around!!!  :)
Lisa

Anonymous said...

I basically do the same with the potatos and eggs.  But I also fry up some bacon and cut it into bits.  I put that in and leave out the olives.  I put sweet relish in mine...and absolutely NO CELERY>yuk.....I use miracle whip  in mine too.  Eric loves my potato salad and trys to figure it out when I make it.  I also put in finely diced onion. Great now I am hungry for it and I am trying to lose weight....I have lost 5 pounds so far ....yeah....lean cusine......

Anonymous said...

Well it certainly isn't potato salad weather here, but I did make it a week or so ago.  I do start mine the same as yours and I don't measure either.  But no mustard, don't like it or olives would ever be in my salad, just don't like them.  I also put in Beau Monde, which I guess is like celery salt, learned it from my step mother, that part.  Floyd loves it and I need to make it again soon for him.  Still not getting alerts.  Joni

Anonymous said...

It is hot and buggy here in Pa today. It thunderstormed so loud this morning that it woke me up shaking. I am like you. I just make the potatoe sald or egg salad by just throwing some things together. I am like that with my deviled eggs too.It never tastes the same twice...love , Christine

Anonymous said...

I LOVE potato salad, but I do love dill pickles in my potato salad and NO onions, lol.  Hubby likes sweet pickles in his pototo salad.  I am like you.  I never measure when I make my potato salad.

Blessings!~

Susan

Anonymous said...

Gosh, this made me hungry for good potato salad.   Hope a good cook makes a batch for our 4th of July get together.  It won't be me.  LOL

Hugs, Kathy

Anonymous said...

I learned how to make potatoe salad from my dad and never measure and have ommited a few things over the years....
I'm like you if I'm feeling fancy then red potatoes otherwise just russett... I peel though first.... Lots of mayo, mustard, sugar, vinegar, although I've discovered apple vinegar so have used that the last couple of times and boiled eggs with paprika on top.... I used to put onions and celery but first went the celery and then the onions, unless I am in the mood for green onions....
Linda :)

Anonymous said...

Gabby and I like our potato salad still warm, what about you?  After it is made and goes in the fridge she almost wont eat any.    I am with you as far as ingredients go...too much stuff ruins it.  It is sorta like that with deviled eggs for me.  I like them simple, I know people who add shrimp, pickles and all sorts of stuff.  Not me, mayo and a little mustard for my deviled eggs.  Oh and store boght potato salad is GROSS.