My Potato Salad

My Potato Salad

Personal Photo

My potato salad has at least a few die-hard fans who proclaim it to be the best they ever had.  It evolved from the potato salad that the mother of one of my high school friends made.  She put green olives in it!  I don’t typically eat green olives, but they really add something to potato salad. 

Another key ingredient is Dukes mayonnaise.  Dukes was originated by Eugenia Duke in Greenville, South Carolina, and subsequently produced and distributed by the Sauer company in Richmond, Virginia.  In my early years in the Air Force, I carried Dukes back with me whenever I came home for a visit.  It’s more widely distributed now.  I can buy it at my local HEB in Texas.  I also add some Greek yogurt to my potato salad.  It gives the potato salad a nice texture, and helps keep the texture after refrigeration. 

It’s really important to hand chop the pickles and onions.  If you use a food processor or slap chopper, you lose the great texture.  It’s also crucial in my book to use Claussen’s kosher dill pickles, for taste and texture.  They are never cooked, and found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. 

I don’t have an exact recipe.  Making potato salad requires lots of tasting.  I’m sharing with you my absolute best guess to get you started.  Then enjoy tasting! 

Potato Salad Ingredients

3 lbs of potatoes

4 large Claussen’s kosher dill pickles

2/3 cup green olives

1 medium-large sweet onion

4 boiled eggs

1 cup Dukes mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons Dijonnaise mustard

½ cup Greek yogurt

¼ cup pickle juice

1/8 cup olive juice

Instructions

1- Peel potatoes, and cut into approximately 1-inch cubes.  I like red potatoes.  My mom always said they were sweeter and moister.  Boil in a large pan in salty water until tender, breaking apart easily with a fork. 

2- Drain potatoes and return to pan.  I don’t use a potato masher.  I just break them apart by stirring, because I like some chunks.  Don’t worry that there are still lots of chunks, because there will be plenty more stirring. 

3- Put eggs on to boil.  When done, after 10-15 minutes of boiling, drain and put in cool water. 

4- Add mayo, mustard, and yogurt.  Stir to combine. 

5- Chop pickles into small cubes.  I slice vertically through the pickles about 3-4 slices, then another 3-4 slices across, like a checkerboard.  Then slice horizontally across the pickle. 

6- Chop olives.  I slice each olive lengthwise into quarters, then cut across. 

7- Chop onions into ¼-inch or larger cubes. 

8- Add pickles, olives, and onions to potatoes. 

9- Add pickle and olive juice.  Stir thoroughly to combine. 

10- Peel and mash eggs.  I don’t like large hunks of egg white, so I thoroughly mash the eggs.  I recently started using my food processor for this.  Add eggs to potato salad and stir to combine. 

11- Taste potato salad.  Add additional mayo, pickle or olive juice, &/or yogurt as needed for a moist but not soupy texture.  Add additional pickles, onions, &/or olives if needed.