Grandmom's Potato Salad

I miss my Grandmom. Not just for her outstanding cooking,
but for her supportive encouragement, hugs and kisses.



My earliest memory of my Grandmother's potato salad was when I was four years old.
She made 25 pounds of it for my party. Growing up, I spent summers with her.
Her potato salad was always a family favorite.

Modern technology has allowed me to modify the cooking process for this recipe.
I microwaved my potatoes instead of boiling them. When I was eighteen I bought a microwave. My grandmother did not allow me to use it. A child of the post depression era, she was always conscious of "pinching pennies til they hollered". I laugh about that today, although at the time, I did not think it was amusing.
She said, "Anything that cooks food that fast, has GOT to be drawing a WHOLE LOT of electricity!"

My grandmother used yellow onion. I prefer vidalia onion in salad because it is sweet. Glaringly absent from this particular batch is diced green bell pepper, and sliced celery. I stopped eating green bell peppers a couple of years ago when I learned that some feel they contribute to gout. I generally substitute red or yellow varieties, but I used them up in a batch of spaghetti this weekend.
I was not going to allow that to stop me from sharing this recipe with everyone.
One of my children hates raw celery. Only the organic variety does not itch my tongue. I completely forgot to get it when I went grocery shopping.
If you choose to add peppers or celery to this recipe, it will only enhance the flavor. This is still delicious, despite the omission of two key ingredients.

My husband HATES mashed potatoes, or anything that resembles that mushy consistency.
Mine is the only potato salad he will eat. Many people make the terrible mistake of adding way too much celery seed. Nothing kills potato salad more than too much celery seed, or that mushy consistency. Agreed?

1 tsp each Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Paprika
1/8 tsp Celery Seed



I happened to get some SPECTACULAR baking potatoes from Save-Alot. I could not pass them up at $1.99 for 10 pounds. Just two potatoes is the equivalent of 3 pounds!

3 lbs. Microwave Cooked Potatoes, 4 Hard Boiled Eggs, 1 Medium Vidalia Onion



1 cup Mayonnaise, 1/2 cup Sweet Relish, 1 tbsp Yellow Mustard, 1 tsp White Vinegar




INGREDIENTS

3 lbs Potatoes, cooked, quartered and sliced
*UPDATE* day 2 the Idaho Potatoes had a mealy texture. Generally, I prefer a waxier potato! YUKON GOLD or RED RUSSET are the BEST!
4 large eggs, hard boiled, and chopped
1 Medium Vidalia Onion, diced
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sea salt or Lawrys Seasoning Salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp celery seed
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp hot sauce

(Optional...Diced Bell Pepper, 2 stalks celery sliced)

After Cooling Potatoes a bit, Peel the skins. The potatoes should still be warm.
The warm potatoes absorb the seasonings and the flavors better than when cold.



Quarter and Cube Cooked Potatoes



Add Seasonings/Spices



Add Vinegar



Add Hot Sauce



Add Sweet Relish





Add Yellow Mustard




Add Mayonnaise



Add Diced Vidalia Onion (Also Add Sliced Celery and Diced Bell Pepper if Used)



Dice Hard Boiled Eggs








DIRECTIONS

1. Mix dry seasonings and set aside.
2. Boil Eggs. Cool them. Chop them finely. I used an egg slicer. Set side.
3. Wash Potatoes. Score them with a fork or Pampered Chef Slice & Serve
Microwave Potatoes. Cool them just enough to handle them. Peel them.
They absorb the flavor of the seasonings best when they are warm.
In a large mixing bowl, quarter and cube the potatoes.

You will need to mix the ingredients well after each addition.
4. Add seasonings to the potatoes.
5. Add white vinegar, hot sauce and sweet relish.
6. Add mustard.
7. Add mayonnaise.
8. Add diced vidalia onion.
9. Add 3 chopped eggs. Mix carefully so as not to smash the yolks.
10. You may slice the remaining egg to add as a garnish for the finished dish.
If you would like to add paprika for garnish, go for it.
11. Chill for 1 hour.

Enjoy