My Grandma's potato salad recipe is something every dinner party, barbecue gathering, or picnic get-together, must-have. It is a summertime staple and with its delicious crunch, flavorful classic dressing, and colorful mix it is not a surprise you can always count on a mixing bowl full of this easy and versatile side dish to be present.
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My two grandmothers tolerated each other just for our sake.
Forget the families you see on TV, in ads, in movies, or read about in books. That was not us, and we didn't even try.
However, there were those couple of occasions each year where you could absolutely believe we were one of those families, and those were a few birthdays and Christmas.
Where does my Grandma's potato salad come to play in this?
Well, my mom's mom prepares the meanest, most delicious homemade potato salad, and my dad's mom would try to convince other people not to eat it just so that she could take more home for herself. She would not leave without a container of her favorite potato salad under her arm!
So, while they barely suffered each other, one always made sure to prepare this family favorite, and the other always made sure to eat it. So, after all, we were not so bad, I guess.
Grandma's potato salad has a crunch, tang, and creaminess that will surely become a regular at your get-togethers too, and now that I think about it [while I am updating this in May 2023], the Fourth of July ain't that far away!
Grandma's Potato Salad With Mustard and Egg Ingredients
- Baby New Potatoes: Creamy, don't require peeling, and cook quickly. They can be substituted for Yukon Gold potatoes, red potatoes, or your waxy potatoes of choice. Russet potatoes tend to be better for roasting but will work too if that's what you have.
- Eggs: Hard-boiled to perfection. Chopped hard-boiled eggs are a must in an old-fashioned potato salad! Here you can find how long to boil eggs for the perfect result.
- Onion, Carrots, Celery: Colorful and crunchy, inexpensive, and easy to prepare. A balance of strong and sweeter flavors that turn simple dish, into the perfect summer salad.
- Mayonnaise, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Mustard, Salt, and Black Pepper: Quite unusual to have olive oil in a potato salad dressing, but its lush notes mixed with creamy mayo, and strong mustard balance this take on the classic dressing very well. If you don't have mustard, here you can find some of the best substitutes for mustard.
How To Make Creamy Potato Salad?
- Boil the eggs and the washed baby potatoes in separate pans; to the boiling potatoes add a teaspoon of salt, as this will allow the salt to be absorbed, making the potatoes more flavorful and requiring less salt to be added later.
- Once the tender potatoes have cooled down, chop them in quarters (or halves if small), and set them aside. For the eggs, ensure you do not overboil them, as the egg yolks may become green where they meet the egg whites, looking quite unpleasant; as soon as your eggs are cooked, place them in a bowl of cool water and allow them to cool down, before peeling them and chopping them.
- Wash and chop the other vegetables in dice of the same size, for ease of mixing.
TOP TIP: Always allow the cooked potatoes, eggs, and veggies to cool down before mixing them with the salad dressing!
- To prepare the creamy dressing, mix the mayonnaise, oil, mustard, and black pepper, ensuring the oil is well incorporated into the other ingredients, as it will make it easier to coat the potato salad.
- In a large bowl, add the cleaned and chopped red onion, celery, carrots, hard-boiled eggs, and potatoes, then add the dressing on top and mix well using two large spoons; to avoid breaking the pieces of vegetables, insert the spoons on the side of the bowls and move them to the center, then lifting.
- Serve and enjoy!
People Also Ask [FAQs]
What are the best potatoes to use for potato salad?
As potato salads require tossing and mixing, small waxy potatoes with thin skin that hold their shape after being boiled are the best choice; opt for red potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, baby potatoes, and yellow Finn. Another good option is Russet Potatoes (also known as Idaho), as they have a fluffy body and thick skin while having a high starch content.
How to boil potatoes for potato salad?
Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover with plenty of water; cover the pan with a lid and bring to a boil. Once the cooking water boils, add salt, reduce the heat to allow the water to simmer, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes easily pierce in the center with a fork.
Once ready, drain the water and allow the potatoes to cool down. Should you prefer to eat your potatoes without skin, this is very easy to remove by hand once the potatoes have cooked.
How to store Grandma's potato salad with mustard and egg?
- In the fridge: This homemade potato salad will store well in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days.
- In the freezer: This recipe is not suitable for freezing, as the vegetables will lose their consistency, and the mayo may split.
Tips and Tricks For Grandma's Potato Salad With Mustard and Egg
Substitutions and additions:
- Sour Cream: This is the number one substitute for mayo. Should you like and have it, mix half and half for the creamiest effect.
- Tanginess: should you like some tanginess in your salad cream, then feel free to add some thinly chopped dill pickles, sweet pickles, or a bit of dill pickle relish.
- Tanginess part two: Another great way of achieving this light acidity is by adding a little white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, however also lemon juice works well. Most times, when going for a more tangy option, it is best to exclude the mustard, so as not to have too many strong flavors in the same recipe.
- Red onions: should raw red onions be too strong for your liking, you can soak them once chopped in cold water for about ten minutes. You can substitute them for some green, spring, or scallions.
- Celery Seed Powder or Whole: These have a great earthy, savory, and bitter taste and can be added to the potato salad as an alternative to other flavorings. Many traditional recipes include it.
A few notes:
- Mixing the potato salad: As you wouldn't want to mash your cooked potatoes, mixing Grandma's potato salad in an extra-large bowl is best. Mix using large spoons, inserting them from the sides, and lifting from the bottom up towards the center.
- Miracle whip: if instead of using mayonnaise or sour cream you prefer miracle whip, go for it; however, you may need to balance the other ingredients, as this is pre-flavored with mustard flavors, dry garlic, and spices.
- Yellow mustard: To offer it a different color and taste, I like to prepare this salad using whole-grain mustard; however, American yellow mustard works perfectly too.
- Mayonnaise: Each country has its own brand of favorite mayo, with Dukes Mayonnaise in the United States, Hellmann's in the United Kingdom, and, for example, Calve' in Italy, so use whatever is your favorite in your potato salad recipe!
One thing I often dislike in shop-bought classic potato salad is that they are very monotone in color and look like a massive lump of cream-colored food.
My Grandma's potato salad with eggs and mustard is so colorful and has crunchy bits; it is unique and the absolute best you can have. I know because my other Grandma used to say so!
Crunchy, tangy, creamy, and colorful, this is a warm weather get-together staple that will grace your summer tables very often as soon as you get to try it.
GET IN TOUCH! Should you have any questions or suggestions, drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you! If you gave this easy potato salad recipe a go, please rate and comment on the recipe card below! We would really appreciate it!
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🍽️ Recipe
Grandma's Potato Salad With Mustard and Eggs
Ingredients
- 500 g Baby New Potatoes or preferred potatoes
- 3 Eggs
- 1 Red Onion
- 1 Carrot
- 2 Celery Sticks
- 3 tablespoon Mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ tablespoon Wholegrain Mustard or American if preferred
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the potatoes
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and salt generously.
- Reduce the heat so that the water is lightly simmering, and add the potatoes to it. Cook until they are easily pierced in the middle with a fork and ready.
- As soon as the potatoes are ready, drain them from the water and allow them to cool down completely. Once cold, halve or quarter, depending on the size of the potatoes.
Prepare the vegetables
- Except for the potatoes, all the other ingredients should be chopped about the same size, so that they mix well.
- Boil the eggs and, as soon as they are cooked, cool them down in some ice water; once cool, peel them and then chop them.
- Peel and chop the onion in dice and, OPTIONAL, bathe for 10 minutes in a bowl of ice water, then drain and allow to dry well spread out on a clean tea towel.
- Peel and chop the carrots; OPTIONAL: you can lightly boil the carrots for 3-4 minutes, so as to eliminate most of its raw flavor, if unliked, while still maintaining some crunch.
- Wash and peel the celery, then chop it to size.
- Place potatoes and chopped vegetables in a large mixing bowl; choose a bowl that allows you to easily mix the salad, not one that just fits it.
Prepare the creamy potato salad dressing
- In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper until you reach a homogenous and creamy dressing.
- Add the dressing to the vegetables and mix until all of the vegetables are covered with it; to do so and avoid mashing the vegetables, insert the spoons from the side of the bowl, then lift towards the centre.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed; serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: This creamy potato salad will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days.
- Grandma's potato salad is not suitable for freezing.
- Cook the potatoes until fork tender in the center. While cooking, only simmer them, so that they don't crush into each other too much and become mushy.
- Baby potatoes have a soft skin and don't need peeling, however, any kind of potatoes can be used and peeled if preferred.
- Use American mustard instead of wholegrain if preferred.
- Ingredients can be easily added, removed, or substituted. Great additions are dill pickle relish, diced crispy bacon, ham, pepperoni, roast chicken, and cubed cheddar cheese.
- Great spices to add to the mix are sweet or smoked paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, chives, spring onions, scallions, parsley, dill, tarragon, or cilantro [fresh coriander]. These can be used fresh or dry, as well as mixed to combine a unique seasoning.
Corinne says
Fabulous recipe. I didn’t tell my husband what was in it so he loved it. Love your recipes and your potato salad is no exception! I follow a vegan diet, but the rest of my family eats a regular diet.
Elle says
Great to hear, Corinne! Thank you for sharing!
Jes says
This potato salad is simply DELICIOUS. Made it exactly by the recipe.
Elle says
Thank you, Jes! Glad to hear!