(The One, True) Cold Potato Salad

Potato salad may seem like an underwhelming recipe for this blog’s debut, but like so many other Americans it is a core food memory for me. Every family has their own version of this classic summertime comfort food, but the differences between recipes can be drastic! I can’t tell you how shocked I was to discover that many people include bell peppers in their potato salads! Green or white onions instead of purple! Some add mustard?? Not to mention those that commit the worst sin of all — Miracle Whip instead of mayo. Truly shocking!

I’m a fan of diversity in American culture. I appreciate that all the different regional and cultural variations of potato salad exist… as long as they never replace my beloved Thornton family version pulled from the 1951 Golden Anniversary Edition of the Wesson Oil Cook Book. It’s creamy and perfectly fresh tasting without being either too sweet or too sour. There is some debate amongst our family members about which kind of pickles to use. The recipe calls for sweet, but I’ve been informed that Grandma June used various types of pickles — it’s really the only thing that varies when she makes this recipe. My Dad prefers the classic sweet pickle variation, but I can’t stand the taste of sweet pickles in any form at all. I like dill pickles in this salad, but I think I like bread and butter pickles even more.

I have so many food-related memories of my Uncle Doug who passed away earlier this year, but potato salad always reminds me of how much Grandma June loved Doug. Growing up I noticed that there was always a smaller bowl of potato salad next to the big one at our warm weather family gatherings. I asked someone once (I forget who) why there was a smaller bowl there, and the answer was “That bowl’s for Doug, because he doesn’t like onions.” The Thorntons aren’t generally a family of picky eaters (or coddlers of picky eaters) so the care my Grandma took each time to be sure and add the purple onions to the mixing bowl last after reserving a bowl of onionless potato salad for my Uncle Doug was special. It was a tiny gesture that showed me that Doug was loved, and, by extension, that I was loved too. I hope Doug knew how loved he was, and how loved he made us feel.

Editor’s Note

Potato salad is a big deal to me. It’s literally one of my favorite foods, so much so that a whole container-full of the stuff has been made just for me on my birthday! I love the stuff and I love the many variations each new recipe brings. That being said, don’t put grapes in your potato salad — it’s just not right. My family’s interpretation includes black olives, red potatoes, and sometimes sliced pepperoncini or dill. As I learned in childhood with one accidental mishap, just make sure to actually cook the potatoes too!

Ingredients

• 2 lb potatoes
• 2½ Tbsp vinegar
• 1 Tbsp oil
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 cup diced celery
• ½ cup diced sweet pickle (or dill / bread & butter pickles)
• ¼ cup diced purple onion
• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• 3 hard-cooked eggs, sliced or diced

Instructions

1. Cook potatoes in salted water (1 tsp salt to a pint of water) until just tender.
2. Drain, peel, cut into 1-inch cubes and put in a large bowl.
3. Combine the vinegar, oil, salt, and sugar in a small bowl. Drizzle the mixture over the warm potatoes.
4. Toss evenly and cover. Refrigerate to marinate for 30 minutes.
5. Add celery, pickles, mayonnaise, and eggs. Toss with two forks to mix thoroughly.
6. Set aside a small bowl for Doug. Add the onions to the main bowl and mix together.
7. Serve chilled.