Creamy Potato Salad

I love potatoes, like really love them. I grow them in my garden every year. Soon I am going to attempt to make a DIY potato planter (stay tuned). On a bad day I have been known to come home and have just mashed potatoes (with horseradish) and gravy for dinner. Just thinking about it puts me in my happy place. But I digress, this is the story of potatoes in another form, and that form is a creamy potato salad. Part of the perfect potato salad for most people is about choosing the right potato. For me it is more about choosing the right mix of potatoes.

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The potato salad can’t be too firm but it also can’t be a bowl of mush. As a compromise I like to use half white potato and half baking potato. This helps create a potato salad that is both firm and smooth. Peel all the potatoes and put them in a large pot. Add enough water to cover the potatoes and bring the water to boiling. Once the water boils, cover the pot and turn down the heat to low. Let the potatoes cook for 25-30 minutes.

At this point I take out the largest potato (carefully) and cut in half to make sure it is tender. If not pop it back in and cook for another 5 minutes. Once they are all tender, drain and let them cool and then cut into cubes. At this point you will see the difference in the two types of potatoes. The white potatoes will forms nice neat cubes that are a wee bit sticky, they help to give some structure to the potato salad. 

The baking potatoes will not hold their shape and may even just crumble and this is ok as this helps make the potato salad nice and smooth and creamy.

Now it’s time to make some magic happen…I am VERY particular about this next ingredient. You need to use mayonnaise, not salad dressing in any shape or form. Once you agree then we can move on. Now that we have established that mayo is the way to go I would strongly recommend Hellmans. I’m currently loving their vegan version. When it comes to mustard I am a French’s kind of girl and for the apple cider vinegar I only use Bragg’s (make sure it says “With the Mother”). Mix them all in a large bowl. (I love my red kitchen aid bowls and have had them for years), throw in a random amount of salt and pepper (however much you think you are going to want in there…just. remember you can’t take it out).

Once this is done, you can add all the potato into the bowl and stir it up. Now you need to get yourself 2-4 stalks of celery (I use two) and wash and de-string the celery (if it bugs you…..it bugs me so I do this step). You can either use a potato peeler to take off those annoying “get-stuck-in-your-teeth” strings (I don’t like this method as you lose a lot of the actual celery)…or you can just use a knife to (carefully) peel them off.

Once this tedious process is over chop up the celery and add it to the bowl. One pet peeve of mine is the fact that most recipes (including this one) only ever use a few stalks of celery and then the rest usually just wilts in the fridge. I am loathe to admit that my father is right, but he did tell me this handy little tip for celery storage that actually works. Wrap it in aluminum foil (shiny side in) and pop it in the crisper and it will keep for ages!

I’m excited to try this recipe soon using my Chinese pink celery! I’m very excited to add this to my garden this year.

You also need to chop up an onion, so get your kleenex, open the windows and put on your swimming goggles and get chopping. Once you have survived the ordeal add it to the bowl. Now is a good time to pour yourself a glass of wine, or tea or whatever you currently fancy. Grab a pot and put the eggs in and cover them with about 1″ of water and wait for the water to boil. Once it is boiling, turn off the heat and cover the pot. Leave them there for about 9 minutes.

Once the time is up quickly pour out the hot water and then quickly fill up the empty pot with cold water. This helps to create steam between the egg and the shell which sometimes in theory and sometimes actually makes them easier to peel. Once you have got them all de-shelled chop them up and add them to the bowl. So at this point it is done but not ready to eat….mix it all up, check the amount of salt and pepper. Then top it all off with some freshly cut chives from the garden and a sprinkling of paprika. Because presentation matters people. Then pop it in the fridge….and wait…for about 4 hours or longer if you can wait!

Whenever I make this it’s gone, but if you do end up with any leftover this creamy potato salad is even better the next day!

Creamy Potato Salad 

Ingredients

• 3 White potatoes
• 3 Baking potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon yellow mustard (French’s)
• Freshly ground salt (I like Himalayan)
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar (I always use Bragg’s)
• Freshly ground pepper (love my Caribbean blue Le Crueset pepper mill)
• 2-4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• Freshly chopped chives
• Paprika

Instructions

1. Peel potatoes and add to a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil then turn down to low and cook for 25-30 minutes.
2. Remove potatoes, set them aside to cool and then chop into cubes
3. Mix mayonnaise, yellow mustard and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. De-string the celery stalks, chop and add to the bowl 
6. Peel and chop the onion and add to the bowl
7. Fill a pot with cold water, place eggs in and cover with 1″ of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and take off the heat and leave for 9 minutes.
8. Pour out the hot water and quickly fill the pot with cold water and leave to cool.
9. Once cooled peel the eggs, chop and add to the bowl.
10. Mix everything together, top with chopped fresh chives and paprika
11. Place the bowl in the fridge and chill for 4 hours or more

I hope you love this potato salad as much as me and my family do. My boys love to have this with some homemade ribs! Now I need to get back in the garden, but not before showing you this picture of an adorably tiny potato I grew last year!

What is your favourite thing to eat with potato salad?