My Southern Potato Salad Recipe is just like Mom’s. She used red potatoes, sweet relish and a hand held potato masher! This old fashioned classic side dish is a must have for summer soirees and picnics.
As a born and bred southern girl, I feel quite comfortable calling my potato salad, “Southern Potato Salad.” I was born in Atlanta and raised in middle Georgia. GRITS means Girls Raised In The South, that’s me!
I am the designated Potato Salad maker in my family these days. I make it just like my mother did using all of the same ingredients with the exception of onions.
Mama would put cut up onions in the potato salad. I switched to onion powder for the flavor.
Also See: Made From Scratch Mashed Potatoes
In an effort to cut down on large cookware to wash, I mix my potato salad up in the same pot I boil the potatoes in. After draining the potatoes in a colander, I just put them back into my old cast iron dutch oven.
Red potatoes make the best potato salad but if you have white potatoes, they will work too. Be sure to peel and cut them into small enough chunks so that the boiling time doesn’t take forever. About 20 to 25 minutes of boiling time should yield fork tender potatoes ready for salad.
Also See: Crockpot Brown Sugar & Pineapple Glazed Ham
Be sure to allow your potatoes to completely cool prior to mashing and blending so the potatoes will not mash too smooth. If you want a really smooth potato salad that is more like smooth mashed potatoes, go ahead and mash and blend while the potatoes are still warm.
I use my handy dandy small food chopper to chop the boiled eggs really well. They disperse better throughout the potato salad when chopped well.
One of my personal favorite kitchen tools is my hand held potato masher. I wish I had the one I grew up watching my Mama use. It had a red wood handle. I remember it well.
Also use your Potato Masher when making Guacamole!
More Summer Fun Food
- Southern Style BBQ Baked Beans
- Homemade Creamy Cole Slaw
- 3 Ingredient Crockpot BBQ Wings
- Guri Guri Hawaiian Ice Cream @My Pinterventures
- 3 lbs. red potatoes
- 1 Cup Mayonnaise (Duke's preferably)
- 3 Eggs, boiled and chopped
- ¼ Cup Sweet Pickle Relish, do not drain
- 2 oz. Jar Diced Pimentos, do not drain
- 1 Tbsp. Onion Powder
- 1 Tbsp. Dry Mustard
- 1 tsp. Salt
- ½ tsp. Pepper
- Peel and cut the potatoes into fourths.
- Place potatoes into a Dutch oven, cover with water and boil until fork tender.
- Drain potatoes and place back into the Dutch oven.
- Allow the potatoes to completely cool before mixing remaining ingredients.
- After the potatoes have cooled, Top with remaining ingredients
- Mash potatoes while blending in the ingredients using a hand held potato masher.
- Continue mashing until there are small tidbits of potatoes remaining.
- You can complete the blending process using a spoon once the potatoes are sufficiently mashed.
- Chill in refrigerator one hour prior to serving.
- OPTIONAL: Sprinkle the top lightly with Paprika
Shirley Wood
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Julie says
Hi Shirley, I love potato salad and yours looks really good. Thanks for sharing at Cooking and Crafting with J & J. 🙂
Carlee says
There is nothing like a good potato salad. I’ve never mashed my taters. I’ll have to give that a go!