Southern Potato Salad
Southern potato salad is an easy summer recipe that is great for a crowd. Classic, old fashioned ingredients like mustard, mayonnaise, eggs, and pickles are combined to make a creamy, low carb side dish that will be an instant hit at your next potluck, cookout, or backyard dinner.
Servings: 7 cups
Calories: 440kcal
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 4 pounds red potatoes finely diced
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 hard boiled eggs peeled and chopped
- ⅓ cup red onion diced
- ½ cup dill pickles finely chopped
For the Dressing
- 1 cup mayo
- 1 ½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
For the Garnish
- sprinkle paprika or smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon flatleaf parsley chopped
Instructions
Cook the Potatoes & Eggs
- Rinse and dice the red potatoes, making sure each piece is a similar size. Place the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil; then add 1 tablespoon of salt. Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, then drain in a colander and shake off the excess water. Let the potatoes cool for 30 minutes in the colander.
- While the potatoes are cooking, boil some water in a smaller pot to cook the eggs. Carefully lower the room temperature eggs into the boiling water and boil for 9 minutes. Drain and submerge the eggs in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then peel and rinse off any eggshells. Quickly dice the hard-boiled eggs by pushing them through a wire rack or mashing them into smaller pieces with a strong wire whisk.
Making the Dressing & Assembling the Salad
- To make the dressing, whisk together the mayo, vinegar, mustards, and spices in a medium bowl.
- Gently mix together the potatoes, eggs, pickles and onions in a large bowl, then fold in the dressing with a large spoon. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Cover tightly and refrigerate until cool or overnight.
- When ready to serve, taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. The potatoes will absorb the dressing and will may need additional mayo, vinegar, or spices. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle paprika and fresh parsley on top.
Notes
- I used Duke's mayo, which has a lemony taste. If you are using another kind of mayo, I suggest adding some freshly squeezed lemon juice to the dressing.
- Once the water begins to boil, add the salt. They will absorb some of the salt and will taste better.
- If you want more of a tang, add vinegar when they are still hot, as it will absorb better.
- Let them cool 30 minutes before adding the dressing if you're using a mayo based dressing.
- Always adjust to taste. Different potatoes soak up the dressing ingredients differently.
- Unpeeled, unsliced spuds will absorb less water while being boiled and will keep more starch.
- Start cooking them in cold water. It provides more even cooking.
- Don't under or overcook them. Cook until just tender when pierced with a fork, as you don't want them mushy or crunchy.
- Apply the dressing when they are warm if using a vinaigrette dressing.
Nutrition
Calories: 440kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 1587mg | Potassium: 1244mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 174IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 2mg
