Salad - Taters 'All American

By Kwasome

All-American Potato Salad
A backyard barbecue wouldn’t be complete without a big bowl of potato
salad. Chances are, however, that salad isn’t what it could be. The
potatoes might be mushy or the vinaigrette bland. How do you make
perfect American-style potato salad? Here’s what we discovered:
Test Kitchen Discoveries

Use firm-textured, full-flavored Yukon Gold potatoes. They
hold their shape after cooking and won’t turn mushy in the
salad. Do take the time to peel them first; their skin can be
tough and papery. Use pickle juice in the vinaigrette. Because it is less acidic and sweeter-tasting than vinegar, we found that it could be used to great effect. Drizzle the still-warm potatoes with a mixture of pickle juice and mustard. The hot potatoes will easily absorb the acidic
liquid and taste seasoned through to the middle.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
• 3 tablespoons dill pickle juice, plus 1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickles
• 1 tablespoonCyellow mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 onion, red (small), chopped fine
• 1 rib celery, chopped fine
• 2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (optional)

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

1. Place potatoes in large saucepan with cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil over high heat, add 1
teaspoon salt, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
*(Make sure not to overcook the potatoes or the salad will be quite sloppy. Keep the water at a gentle simmer and use the tip of a paring knife to judge the doneness of the potatoes. If the knife inserts easily into the
potato pieces, they are done.)
2. Drain potatoes thoroughly, then spread out on rimmed baking sheet. Mix 2 tablespoons pickle juice and
mustard together in small bowl, drizzle pickle juice mixture over potatoes, and toss until evenly coated.
Refrigerate until cooled, about 30 minutes.
3. Mix remaining tablespoon pickle juice, chopped pickles, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, celery seed,
mayonnaise, sour cream, red onion, and celery in large bowl. Toss in cooled potatoes, cover, and refrigerate
until well chilled, about 30 minutes. (Salad can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 days.) Gently
stir in eggs, if using, just before serving.