Potato Salad – The Good Kind :)

Potato Salad – Yep, I said it, the good kind. That’s because I have not cared for most of the potato salad that I have ever tried. It seems like there is always some weird ingredient that doesn’t belong, or that the potatoes aren’t cooked all the way, or they’re cooked too much. I don’t know, sometimes there’s some over-powering something or other in it. I know that I probably sound like a big whiner baby, but I’ve always been a big girl about it and tried every potato salad that I’ve come across. I’m really glad too because one day – (think this sound like something glorious is happening) aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh –  that’s right, delicious, perfect potato salad. Guess who made it – my mother- in- law. Go figure, my Puerto Rican mother-in -law is awesome at making the whitest food on Earth. And the award for the whitest food on Earth goes to – da da da daaaa – potato salad – hmmmm,  I guess you could argue that it should have went to the Apple Pie. The apple pie is at it’s table at the awards dinner all angry, the other pies whispering – “Dude, you totally should have won”. Maybe not. Anyway, she always brings her yummy potato salad to Easter, which is held at my house. This year however, she ditched out :D and ran off to San Diego for the weekend and didn’t have time to make her wonderful potato salad in time. So, it was left up to me. I called and asked her for the recipe, but I guess most people don’t take their potato salad recipes on vacation and neither does she. What I got was “well, I put potatoes, and celery and onions and mayo, and hmm what else – oh, mustard and sometimes vinegar and eggs” . With that to go on, this is what I came up with. It’s really yummy :D! I hope you love it! Happy Cooking!
Ingredients

5 pounds red potatoes, cleaned and diced “big bite size”
1/4 cup or so iodized salt (for the potato water)
2 bay leaves
1 shallot, minced
3 stalks of celery, sliced into 1/4 inch thick pieces
6 eggs
3/4 cup mayo
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon mustard
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

Instructions

1. The first thing I start is the eggs. To make a perfect boiled egg every time, follow these instructions exactly. OK – put your eggs into a pot of cool water and let them set for about 10 minutes. You do this to help the temperature come up a little so they don’t crack as soon as you turn on the heat. Next, put them on the stove on high and bring them to a boil. As soon as the water starts to boil look at the clock. Let them boil for 10 minutes – take them out of the water and put them into an ice bath. If you’re not quick at this then start at 9 and 1/2 minutes, it’s better to have them a tiny bit under done than the green yolk grossness that happens when boiled eggs are over cooked.
2. On to cooking the potatoes (which you have already cleaned and diced right(?)). The best way to do this is in a big pot, especially with this kind of potato because it is high in starch and has a tendency to boil over. What I do is when I’m chopping my potatoes, I put them into the pot filled with water. When I’m all done chopping, I drain them, this helps to get rid of some of the starch. Next I put the potatoes back in the pot (I use my 8 qt stock pot) and fill it with water . I then add a ton of salt – about 1/4 cup of iodized salt (see my article on salt) and the bay leaves. You should be starting with cool/cold water to help the potatoes cook evenly. Put them on the stove on high heat and bring them to a boil. Again, these boil over easily, it helps to skim the white fluffy stuff that you’ll see come to the top. Don’t bother putting oil into the water, this does nothing except waste your oil (don’t get upset, I used to do it too). A trick I learned that does help a little is to run a tiny bit of butter around the rim of your pot. If you use enough water and a big enough pot though, it shouldn’t boil over anyway. I don’t mean to dwell on this, I’m just trying to save you that “oh no the pot is boiling over adrenaline rush”. When your potatoes are “fork tender” – like, you can easily stab them with a fork, they’re done. Taste one to make sure  (yummy right?)  and then drain them and put them on a sheet pan to cool. I let mine set on the counter for about 15 minutes and then I move them to the fridge to get super cool.
3. While your potatoes are boiling, go ahead and chop your celery, and shallots and if your eggs are done and cooled, peel and chop them too. Chill everything.
4. When everything is nice and cold, it is time to put it together. So, put your potatoes, eggs, celery, and shallots into a bowl.
5. In a small separate bowl, combine the mayo, vinigar, mustard, and Kosher salt and pepper. You have to decide the amount of salt and pepper on your own based on how your potatoes tasted earlier. If they really needed salt, add more then is in the recipe, just don’t over salt. Remember, people can add salt at the table but, they can’t take it out :).
6. Add the sauce into the potato mixture and gently fold it, be gentle or the potatoes will lose their shape and you’ll have mashed potato salad.
7. Enjoy!

Please enjoy this “how-to” video!