St. John family Potato Salad
There were several posts that were missed in the conversion of my site back in January. I will be sharing these “lost” posts over the next couple of weeks.
There are two foods that were always staples of my childhood during the summer: my dad’s salmon on the grill and my mom’s potato salad. When relatives from out of town come to visit in the summer, these dishes are likely to be served…on the back deck in the sun. It is a great side dish to anything off the grill or a good sandwich.
My mom makes this potato salad the same way every time (with minor tweaks from the way her mom made it before her) and there has always been comfort in that. After watching her make it countless times over the years, I have developed my own version.
Let’s get started!
Boil the potatoes until fork tender, about 20 minutes. This will vary on the size of the potatoes. I use red potatoes because they are creamy and hold their shape. Meanwhile, boil the eggs in another pot. You can also make them in the oven (who knew!).
Once the eggs and potatoes are both cooked, drain them and let them sit until they are cool enough to handle. (You can also do this step a day ahead and put the potatoes and eggs in the fridge until you’re ready to make the salad.) Peel and cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks and put in a large bowl. The potatoes are a cinch to peel once they’ve been boiled!
Dice the eggs and pickles and add to the bowl. Dice the onion as finely as you can and add to the bowl. Add ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and the dill.
Add the mayonnaise or Miracle Whip (I find that Miracle Whip adds a nice sweetness and zip. However, if you’re totally opposed to Miracle Whip, mayonnaise will work) and mustard and stir until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Chill until ready to serve.
The great thing about this recipe is that it’s easy to customize with different flavor profiles. Here are a few variations:
- Remove pickle and add 3 strip of bacon chopped and a tablespoon of chives
- Swap dill pickles for sweet pickles
- Swap the dill for celery salt
- Use red onion
- Use Dijon mustard
Enjoy!
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Ingredients
- 3 lbs. red potatoes
- 3 large eggs
- 2 dill pickles
- ½ walla walla sweet (or yellow) onion
- 1/2 cup Miracle Whip
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon dill
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil potatoes until they can be poked through with a fork (start with 20 minutes) cook eggs. Let cool. You can cook the potatoes and eggs ahead of time and chill them in the fridge until you're ready to make the salad.
- Peel and chop potatoes into bit-sized chunks and put in a large bowl. Dice eggs and pickle and add to the bowl. Chop the onion as finely as possible and add to the bowl.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and dill. Add the Miracle Whip and mustard and stir until combined. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
- Chill until ready to serve.
- If you are not serving this at home or someone else’s house (a picnic, for example) leave in a cooler whenever possible or don’t bring it. In the name of safety, this should not be left out in the heat for long.