My All-time Favorite Potato Salad

People tend to feel very passionate about their favorite potato salad, and this one is mine. It took years of tweaking to get this recipe just so. It’s modeled after the French Potato Salad at Pronto! in Royal Oak, Michigan, one of my all-time favorite restaurants.

I’ll admit that this is not E’s favorite potato salad – he likes “yellow” potato salad that contains small, skinless chunks of potato, mayo and plain yellow mustard, and who knows what else. The kind of potato salad you can buy at the grocery store deli counter.

Not me. I want a potato salad that’s creamy and light, with big chunks of baby redskin potatoes and crunchy bits of sharp red onion and bright green celery. I want the creamy dressing to be punctuated with the sharp tang of whole grain Dijon mustard. I want dill, and lots of it.

This potato salad gives me all of that, and so it’s the one I almost always make when I want potato salad. (Sorry, E. I know you understand.) And as potato salads go, it’s not too bad – it has about half the mayonnaise of other potato salads.

While I know it’s not de rigeur to post twice on your blog in one day, I had to give you this recipe in time for the weekly menu, because this potato salad is so happening on the Fourth of July.

My All-time Favorite Potato Salad

3 pounds baby redskin potatoes, scrubbed well
2 stalks celery, diced small
1 small or 1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise (I like Trader Joe’s homemade style)
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt or light sour cream
2 tablespoons country-style whole grain Dijon mustard
handful chopped fresh dill or about 1 tablespoon dried, plus more to taste
small bunch fresh chives, chopped, or 1 tablespoon dried
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons milk, if needed

Quarter the potatoes and place in a large saucepan.

Add water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until fork-tender, 6-8 minutes or so.

Drain and rinse gently with cold water.

While the potatoes are cooking, chop the celery and onion.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt or sour cream, Dijon mustard, dill, chives, salt, and pepper. The dressing should be thick but pourable, about the consistency of salad dressing so that it will toss easily but coat the potatoes well. Add milk as needed to thin it if necessary, but don’t get it too thin.

In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, celery, onion, and dressing. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate.

Serves 8.

Here’s the handy printable version! Enjoy!

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