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.
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.
No Onions in this recipe
Mama would put cut up onions in the potato salad which was fine with me because I love them but most of our family disagrees. I switched to onion powder for the flavor without actually having raw onions.
If you want the onion flavor, you will be happy to know I use onion powder in my recipe. Another alternative to chopped onions is to pulverize the onions in a food processor until they are basically onion juice and use that. It will be hardly noticeable if at all.
Ingredients for Making Classic Potato Salad
3 lbs. Red Potatoes- peeled
Mayonnaise- preferably Duke’s (on Amazon, here)
3 large eggs, boiled and chopped
Sweet pickle relish, undrained (on Amazon, here)
Diced pimentos, undrained (on Amazon, here)
Onion Powder (on Amazon, here)
Dry Mustard, (on Amazon, here)
Kitchen Hack for less clean-up
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.
What Kind of Potatoes Should You Use To Make Potato Salad?
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.
If you are growing potatoes in your garden, those will make a scrumptious fresh potato salad.
How To Make Potato Salad
After boiling your potatoes until fork tender, drain them and return them to your big Dutch oven.
Mash then stir or Stir then Mash?
Allow your potatoes to completely cool prior to mashing if you want little tidbits of potato. If you prefer a smooth potato salad like my family, mash the potatoes while 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.
Add all of the ingredients to the potatoes and stir, stir, stir until well blended. A long handle wooden spoon works well for this. I use my old fashioned potato masher and stir while mashing then finish the stirring with a wooden spoon.
Mustard Potato Salad
The reason I use dry mustard rather than regular yellow mustard is because of the amount of liquid I like to add by not draining the pickle relish or pimentos. You have to be careful not to have too much liquid and the mayonnaise adds plenty as well. Dry mustard gives that tangy flavor quite well.
Serve your Southern Potato Salad in a pretty bowl. That will give you some satisfaction because making potato salad takes a little time and you want it to look pretty.
Sprinkle Smoked Paprika on top for a little color, then place thin sliced hard boiled eggs on top. It’s a very southern way of serving potato salad.
Skin on Potato Salad. On a rare occasion, I leave the skin on the potatoes. Personally I love the flavor. When I make potato salad with potato skins, I do not mash the potatoes until smooth. Leave them just a little chunky for a completely different dish of potato salad.
Serve Potato Salad as a side dish with
- Fried Chicken
- Baked Ham
- BBQ
- Grilled Meat
- Meatloaf
- Pork Chops
How Long Can Potato Salad Sit Out?
The quick answer is not too long. It depends on the temperature where the potato salad is residing. Generally speaking it is wise to always keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold, something I learned as a restaurant manager long ago. If you have ever been to a cafeteria style restaurant, you know the cold foods are kept on ice and the hot foods are on a steam table. This is to prevent the growth of bacteria. I don’t recommend leaving out potato salad for more than 30 minutes inside of your home and not at all outside. If you take potato salad on a picnic or outdoor event, take a larger container filled with ice to sit the potato salad container into or keep it in the cooler with ice. This is my opinion and in no way intended to be health related advise.
Southern Potato Salad Recipe
A classic Southern Potato Salad recipe with eggs and relish. The quintessential summer side dish for BBQ, grilled meats and pic nic's.
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
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 large spoon once the potatoes are sufficiently mashed.
Chill in refrigerator one hour prior to serving.
OPTIONAL: Sprinkle the top lightly with Paprika
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
6 ozAmount Per Serving Calories 258Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 54mgSodium 382mgCarbohydrates 25gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 5g
Nutrition information is estimated and may not be exact based on uncontrolled variables in home kitchens used by each individual cook.
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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!