Diane's Homemade Potato Salad


6 medium sized potatoes, any variety, but I prefer red skins
6-8 eggs, hard boiled
½-1 cup mayonnaise, or to taste
½ cup chopped dill pickles or dill pickle relish
¼ cup chopped sweet pickles or sweet pickle relish
½ cup chopped red, yellow or white onion, or green onion
½ cup chopped celery, optional
6-8 slices smokey bacon, fried crisp and crumbled, optional
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
dash of coarse ground black pepper or to taste
1-2 tablespoons vinegar - white, cider or red wine vinegar (I use white)

If you like the tang of mustard potato salad, add yellow mustard to taste after all the other ingredients are added.

*******************************************************
Boil potatoes in their skins until tender but still firm. Immediately pour off boiling water and run cold water over potatoes to cool them and stop them cooking. When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes by lifting up the skin with a sharp knife and peeling off.

In a large bowl, dice the potatoes into ¾-inch cubes. Chop or slice the boiled eggs into the bowl, reserving some for garnish if desired. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Garnish as desired, cover tightly and chill until serving time. Overnight is best, but it's good even when it's first made.
********************************************************
To save time I sometimes peel the potatoes and dice them, then cook them until just done. It's not as good as cooking them in their skins though.

Sometimes I also add my eggs to the potatoes for the last 10 minutes of cooking, then leave the eggs and potatoes in the boiling water with a lid on them for another 10 minutes before I pour off the boiling water and run cold water over them.

You can easily make this recipe your own by adjusting the ingredients and adding things you like and leaving out things that you don't like.

Enjoy!

5 comments:

Donna. W said...

The secret ingredient that turns ordinary potato salad into something great is sugar. I see you use this ingredient. I like to use baked potatoes in my potato salad.

nancy said...

Your potato salad sounds sooooo good. You really make it a lot like I do. Although I sometimes use dill pickle juice instead of the vinegar. I started putting a dash of curry powder in mine a looong time ago and found that it gives it a wonderful zing. But it doesn't even taste like curry powder. Seems to bring out the creaminess of the mayo and all. I don't know why I even tried it, but it's gooood. I absolutely LOVE potato salad. Now you've done "th'owed a cravin' on me."\
Love, Nancy

Mountain Mama said...

Mom used to make a Potato Salad like this but she didn't use any bacon in it.
My cousin who was a gourmet cook always added a tiny bit of horse radish to her potato salad.
Myself, I love the stuff, but can't eat much of it because I have to watch cholesterol and fat intake.

Thanks for sharing your recipe Diane. I might make it for a family affair.

BigDadGib said...

Sister Connie (the oldest of my sisters) makes the best German Tator salad...
It's best while it is still warm... ummmm

Unknown said...

Happy Weekend and (((HUGS))) to You, Diane! :D)