I contemplated calling this “The Best Potato Salad Recipe,” but since that title is pretty subjective (I’m sure a lot of people out there think they have the best recipe), I decided to call it what it is— my all-time favorite potato salad recipe.
My mom has been consistently using this recipe for as long as I can remember, which clearly explains my bias. She got this recipe back in 1978 from one of her friends. The original version was slightly different (which I’ve included in the “notes” section). I have tried other recipes over the years, but none of them come close.
This potato salad has made an appearance at more family gatherings, cookouts, and potluck dinners than I can count, and it’s always a huge hit. There’s nothing difficult about it, there are only 7 ingredients, and I think most of the ingredients are pretty common things for people to have at home. Oh, and most importantly (for me, at least) none of the ingredients are vinegar.
(Printable recipe at the end of this post).
Potato Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
- 5 lb bag of Idaho potatoes
- 1 1/3 cup Mayonnaise *not Miracle Whip*
- 1 lb sliced bacon
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped dill pickles
- 2-3 tbsp Mustard or to taste
- 6 hardboiled eggs
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Notes:
- The original version of this recipe included chopped green onions.
- My mom has also added white onions when she’s made this potato salad as a special request a few times over the years. I wouldn’t suggest adding both to the same potato salad
- A few of the ingredients in this recipe (pickles, mustard, mayonnaise, salt and pepper, and onions if you want to add those) are “to taste.” The measurements included in this recipe show the way my mom makes hers. You may need to experiment with this recipe a little to get it the way you like it.
Steps
- Peel and cube all of the potatoes. Boil the potatoes in a large pot until they are fork tender.
- Cook and crumble bacon.
- Chop hard boiled eggs (we like the eggs chopped in larger chunks)
- Add the potatoes, bacon crumbles, hard boiled eggs and pickles into large bowl.
- Season with salt and pepper
- Add mayonnaise and mustard and stir all the ingredients
See? So easy. We usually like to eat this warm, but it’s good cold too.
Total Prep and Cook Time: between 2-2.5 hours.
None of the steps are difficult, they’re just time consuming. My mom is very precise with every thing she does, so even though she’s been making this for over 40 years, it still takes her close to two and a half hours. The first time I made this recipe, it took close to 3 hours, but I was really slow peeling, cutting, and cooking the potatoes. To be completely honest, I’m still slow with that step. Just be sure to give yourself plenty of time when you’re making this recipe.
I hope you enjoy this potato salad as much as we do!
Happy Cooking!!
Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 5 lb bag of Idaho potatoes
- 1 1/3 cup Mayonnaise *not Miracle Whip*
- 1 lb sliced bacon
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped dill pickles
- 2-3 tbsp Mustard or to taste
- 6 hardboiled eggs
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and cube all of the potatoes. Boil the potatoes in a large pot until they are fork tender.
- Cook and crumble bacon.
- Chop hard boiled eggs (we like the eggs chopped in larger chunks)
- Add the potatoes, bacon crumbles, hard boiled eggs and pickles into large bowl.
- Season with salt and pepper
- Add mayonnaise and mustard and stir all the ingredients
Great recipe!