Let’s Get Our Potato Salad On

I promised you yesterday, in a mouth-watering post about French Dip Sandwiches from the slow cooker, that I would let you in on a delicious recipe for potato salad.

I like to keep promises, so here you are!

As I was looking at some of these photos, the potato salad actually resembles scrambled eggs! I am pretty sure they were potatoes and not eggs, though. I think scrambled eggs and French Dip Sandwiches would be a little too spontaneous…even for me! Miss Spontaneity!

I’m pretty sure that this color was due to the use of good ol’ fashioned mustard in this recipe. I’m not crazy about mustard (read: I passionately hate it), but I don’t mind a little bit in salad with spuds. Also, the hard-boiled eggs end up getting a little mixed in during stirring, so that could also be adding to the yellow color.

You can make adjustments to this recipe in whatever way you want. I thought some chopped black olives would be yummy, but they are some of my favorite edible things in the world. You could also throw in some freshly-grated Cheddar cheese right at the end. Cheese, like bacon, just makes everything better.

Speaking of bacon, it is a must in this recipe. Just do it!

I leave on the skins during boiling, since they say that is where most of the nutrition resides. If I’m mixing a whole lotta mayonnaise into these potatoes, we need all the nutritional value that we can muster!

The good news is that I healthified this potato salad. *snort* No, really! Lots of recipes seem to think that approximately two cups of mayo should suffice in a recipe of this magnitude. I gagged when I read that, as I am not a huge mayo fan (don’t worry…Miracle Whip is an abomination of man as well). Sour cream tastes great in here and replaces half of the mayo while adding a nice tang and creaminess.

Your arteries will thank me some day.

I tried something new this time around, and it worked like a charm. I added some diced green onion and all of the salad spices to the bottom of a giant bowl. After the potatoes were drained but still warm, I placed them in the bowl and tossed them with the spices. Because everything was warm, they soaked up the flavor really well. It was all incredibly easy but added a nice dimension to the salad.

One thing I would change next time is to add the creamy mixture just before serving. That way, the salad tastes fresh and moist (crap, I used that word again!). Just mix up the sauce and put it into the refrigerator with the seasoned potatoes to cool. Before serving, pour over the spuds and toss.

Let me know how you like it. I made a full five-pound bag to feed us all week (and we haven’t even made a dent in it yet…), but you can certainly scale down this recipe to fit your pratty.

Bacon Potato Salad

5 pounds Idaho potatoes
2 batches Green Onions, thinly sliced, divided
1 teaspoon Salt
3/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1 pound Bacon, cooked and crumbled
10 Hard-Boiled Eggs, peeled and chopped

Wash and dice the potatoes (in similar size so everything cooks evenly) and place in a pot. Fill about one inch above the potatoes with cold water and place on a hot stove. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of salt in with the water for the potatoes to soak up while boiling. Potatoes are done when they are a firm fork-tender. You want them edible but firm enough to handle being mixed with other ingredients. After about ten minutes of boiling, drain the potatoes and add to a large bowl of spices with half the green onions (these will wilt but add nice flavor for now. We will add the rest of the green onions at the end to keep them crunchy). Place in the refrigerator to cool until service.

Creamy Sauce

3/4 cup Mayonnaise
3/4 cup Sour Cream
2 tablespoons Yellow Mustard (any mustard would be good here)
1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients until smooth. Place in the refrigerator with the potatoes until service. When ready to eat, pour over the potato mixture and stir. Add the eggs, bacon, and remaining green onions and stir again. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!