Potatoes love me and the feeling is mutual.
I can eat potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner and of course, in between.
My favorite junk food is potato chips or fries, but I haven't had many of those lately.
I've often felt that if I had too, I could live on potatoes, just potatoes, but I hope it doesn't come to that.
It is hard to mess up the potato, though I suppose it's been done.
Greasy, limp fries aren't too good nor are burnt hash browns.
And I don't really like soggy potato pancakes.
But I guess the worst mess is store bought potato salad. The sweet kind.
The kind filled with more mayo and tiny red pieces (which I think are pimento), than potatoes.
Stores try to throw in mustard but somehow, at least to me, that just makes it seem sweeter.
No, I'm not a big fan of store bought potato salad.
As a child I remember my dad running across town to buy fried chicken from a grocery named Lloyd's.
Dad would drive over every Sunday afternoon and buy fried chicken, potato salad and DAD's root beer with a blue and yellow label.
We were only allowed milk on most days so Sundays were a special treat.
I think they even sold tapioca pudding which he loved, but could never get me to eat.
He also brought home fried chicken livers and gizzards. I remember fighting over the livers but he ate the gizzards all by himself.
It was a meal to look forward to.
I might have even been allowed to sit in front of the TV and watch The World of Disney on NBC which always had some movie about animals, that inevitably made me cry.
It is weird what we remember. And food is a good trigger for my memories.
Sometimes I think I don't remember much, but when it relates to food I think I remember a lot.
In this case, I remember the potato salad. It was good. It had crunchy pieces of celery and onion and a hint of mustard, too.
Lloyd's disappeared early in my childhood and then I remember Kentucky Fried and Popeye's.
They just weren't the same. And they didn't sell Dad's.
But back to potatoes. I believe my first bite of potato salad came from Lloyd's.
Though I honestly can tell you I don't really remember it well, but believe it was a traditional potato salad.
It didn't have funny herbs or spices. I don't know if it had sugar.
But this recipe is what I think it tasted like. And this traditionalpotato salad is perfect for dads.
Real dads. Real dads that drink Dad's root beer and go get fried chicken and stuff, because their wife doesn't want to cook.
The thing is (now that I'm thinking about it), I think my dad preferred macaroni salad and I don't like macaroni salad.
Sorry dad! Love you and Happy Father's Day!
A Few More:
Recipe
Traditional Potato Salad
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 - 8 Servings 1x
- Category: Salads/Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
2-3 lbs red jacket potatoes boiled in salt water (Don't let them get to soft)
4 hard boiled eggs
3 green onions chopped or 1 cup
¾ c chopped celery
3 T chopped parsley
2 T dill pickle juice
2 T yellow ball park mustard
1 t salt
⅓ c Hellman's or Blue Ribbon mayo
Instructions
Cover potatoes with salted cold water in a large pot over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to medium and cook until potatoes are just tender-about 15-20 minutes. Remove potatoes and set aside to cool.
Bring water back to boil and boil your eggs until hard.
Peel and chop potatoes in medium size pieces suitable for real potato salad.
Now chop the eggs somewhat fine.
Mix chopped eggs, onions, celery, parsley, pickle juice, mustard, salt and mayo in bowl.
Add warm potatoes and fold gently into mixture. Enjoy with real dads! Or not!
Notes
(I prefer fresh potato salad. In other words, try not to plan for leftovers. I think it gets mushy if it sits to many days in the fridge.)
Diana says
This turned out well. I don't like store-bought or even deli potato salads for the most part because they use vinegar instead of pickle juice. This was great (though I did add twice the mayo.)
Abbe says
Mayo is a funny thing isn't it? Some like more, some like less. I'm so glad you liked it and never be afraid to mix things up a bit!
Abbe Odenwalder says
That's a great tip! Thanks so much for telling us about it!
Anonymous says
Hello! I have one hint for you if you like that little tingly zing on the sides of your tongue as you eat each bit. As you let the potatoes drain and when they are still piping hot, sprinkle the pickle juice over them. They will absorb the juice and have great flavor. Then leave the pickle juice out of the dressing part. My mom used pickle juice, but I use red wine vinegar for a SUPER tingle 🙂
Abbe Odenwalder says
Hey youngest bro! I'm not even sure you were around when he bought chicken at Lloyd's. And if you were you didn't have teeth. Hope you had a great trip!
Anonymous says
Dads? Perhaps, A and W, then Jaenikes?
Your youngest bro.
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes says
The potato salads in the supermarkets here have watered down mayo, just awful. But fried chicken and this salad, that`s an entirely different story Abbe! This is certainly a good recipe!
Abbe Odenwalder says
Thanks Paula! Ooh, I would love me some fried chicken, but the rabbit catcher wants steak.
Purabi Naha | Cosmopolitan Currymania says
Who doesn't love potatoes! I love them too!! This is such a great combo of potato, eggs and mayo! Love it.
Abbe Odenwalder says
Thanks Purabi! This is a very good potato salad because of all those things!
Cathleen says
Haha, I am totally the same!! I love everything about potatoes, they are definitely my favorite food. It's surprising that I have never made potato salad before... This looks fantastic!
Abbe Odenwalder says
Cathleen we must be soul sistas - only I'm older! But everyone should have a good potato salad in their repertoire. Give it a try!
Amy says
Wow, you really love potatoes. 🙂 I like them, but definitely not as much as you do. but after looking at your classic potato salad, I'm craving for some. I think I would prefer a potato salad over a macaroni any day. 😛 Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful weekend.
Abbe Odenwalder says
Amy, I really do love potatoes. Maybe because when I was growing up I only remember my Mom making them baked or boiled. When I got out in the world I saw an entire realm of possibilities!
ChgoJohn says
Now this is a potato salad I would really enjoy. For me, it's got to have a bit of crunch, some chopped egg, and the all important mustard. Lacking any of those 3 and it just isn't right. Your addition of pickle juice is a nice touch and Hellman's is a must! 🙂
Abbe Odenwalder says
That's exactly what I want in my potato salad as you can see! And it is the first thing I go for at a picnic next to the baked beans!
Angie Schneider says
This is a kind of potato salad I would enjoy too!
Abbe Odenwalder says
Thanks Angie!
Kitchen Riffs says
Potato salad is truly good stuff. I used to hate making it - it was burning my fingers as I peeled the still warm potatoes that I didn't like. These days I just cube the potatoes first and cook them (thanks to Julia Child for this idea). They cook a lot faster, and retain good texture and flavor. Anyway, nice recipe, great story. Thanks!
Abbe Odenwalder says
You know it looks like I didn't peel in this recipe. LOL! But ulia was a master at everything so thanks for the tip! Have a great weekend!