Mom's Potato Salad Recipe ♥

My mother's recipe for a traditional American-style homemade potato salad – it's the one potato salad I make again and again without needing a "recipe". And while not "diet food," the recipe calls for cooked eggs and cottage cheese so the potato salad contains a good measure of protein too. Fresh herbs really brighten the flavors! I make other potato salads on occasion but this is the one I come back to again and again, the one I make almost without thinking.

WAY BACK IN 2006 A few weeks back, Michelle from the food blog "Je Mange la Ville" shared her Secrets to Amazing Potato Salad (scroll down, they're near the end). It got me to wondering why I'd yet to post my mother's potato salad "recipe" here on A Veggie Venture, despite making a big batch several times a summer.

So. Without further ado, here are my Mom's tricks for a classic potato salad and now, as mothers pass important things to daughters, my own "recipe" and tips too. Always.

The potatoes are cubed, skins on, to cook more evenly and quickly.
The dressing base is equal measures of mayonnaise (for me, reduced fat Hellman's, for Mom, her ever-lovin' Miracle Whip) and low-fat cottage cheese. (Update: In 2018, my new favorite mayonnaise is Duke's!)
The dressing includes three hard-boiled eggs plus sweet pickle relish.
Use a large wide bowl to make it easier to mix the dressing and then stir in the potatoes.
Add the potatoes to the dressing while they're still hot, so they soak up some of the liquid.

UPDATE So this is "my" go-to potato salad recipe, the one I can make almost in my sleep, no need for a recipe. This year, I used the same concept but substituted low-calorie and low-carb cauliflower for potatoes, making it a good choice for dieters and diabetics – and all who love cauliflower! See Cauliflower Potato Salad. It makes a big batch so is good for a crowd – but keeps for a good week, too, so is great for cooking ahead for family gatherings. Plus – I'm so pleased to know that this is the potato salad served at The Smiling Moon, the little coffeeshop and lunch cafe in my hometown in Minnesota!

MOM's POTATO SALAD

Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Makes 6 cups (with 2 pounds potatoes) or 10 cups (with 3 pounds potatoes)

POTATOES
Salted water to cover
2 – 3 pounds new potatoes, skins on, in small cubes

EGGS
3 eggs, hard-boiled (see Perfect Hard-Cooked Eggs), diced small

DRESSING
3/4 cup (175g) low-fat Hellman's mayonnaise
3/4 cup (185g) 1% cottage cheese
1 generous tablespoon good mustard
2 generous tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1/2 a large sweet onion or yellow onion, chopped very fine (about 1 cup)
3 ribs celery, chopped very fine
Fresh dill or other fresh herbs, optional but wonderful
Salt & pepper to taste

POTATOES & EGGS Start the water to boil. Add the potatoes as they're prepped and cook, covered, until they're done. Hard-boil the eggs.

DRESSING Stir together the dressing ingredients, if you use a scale you can save a few dishes! Stir in the hot potatoes and eggs. Taste and adjust seasonings.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
POTATOES In 2013, I used a mix of purple, red and white potatoes, very pretty! I wondered if the purple would seem “too weird” but there were just enough of them to add a little color without going overboard. In 2016, I used 3 pounds of potatoes instead of just 2 pounds. Yay, there was still plenty of sauce!
ADD-INS In that same batch in 2013, I added a half pound or more of cooked corn, very good! It added a texture contrast and a touch of sweetness that people really liked. In 2016, I stirred in some chopped radish and some bacon. Oh lordy, lordy.
COTTAGE CHEESE In St Louis, I adore Pevely 1% cottage cheese and the Dierberg's store-brand 1% cottage cheese which I'm quite sure is made by Pevely. The Trader Joe’s low-fat cottage cheese is great too.
COOKED EGGS Much to my surprise, I love using an inexpensive wire egg slicer, the neat little cubes are so cool!
NUTRITION NOTES This isn't diet food. But because a good portion of the calories come from high-calcium cottage cheese and high-protein eggs, as potato salad goes, it's relatively low in calories and even carbs.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Half Cup, made with 2 pounds potatoes: 124 Calories; 4g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 56mg Cholesterol; 158mg Sodium; 17g Carb; 2g Fiber; 3g Sugar; 5g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS WW Old Points 2.5, WW PointsPlus 3, WW SmartPoints 4, WW Freestyle 3 CALORIE COUNTERS 100-calorie serving = scant half cup (4g protein).

Per Half Cup, made with 3 pounds potatoes: 89 Calories; 2g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 34mg Cholesterol; 78mg Sodium; 14g Carb; 1g Fiber; 2g Sugar; 3g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS WW Old Points 2, WW PointsPlus 3, WW SmartPoints 4, WW Freestyle 3 CALORIE COUNTERS 100-calorie serving = generous half cup (4g protein).

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MORE FAVORITE POTATO SALAD RECIPES

~ Warm German Potato Salad ~
~ Warm Sweet Potato Salad ~
~ Southwestern Potato Salad ~
~ more potato salad recipes (scroll down the page a bit) ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Sweet Potato Salad with Roasted Poblano, Roasted Corn & Chipotle ~
~ Confetti Potato Salad ~
~ Cornmeal Catfish with Warm Potato Salad ~
~ more salad recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

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