Here in the south, potato salad is taken very seriously. This was something I quickly learned after moving to Louisiana twenty years ago. Although I wasn’t a huge fan of potato salad as a kid, it became my favorite when I made it the southern style–with mayo and mustard. It is rich, creamy, tangy and has just the right crunch. Southern-Style Potato Salad is the ultimate comfort food.

WHAT IS A “SOUTHERN STYLE POTATO SALAD?”

Southern-Style Potato Salad is creamy and tangy. It has mayonnaise as well as mustard. Thanks to the finely chopped celery and sweet relish, the dressing also includes plenty of texture. I prefer potato salad with less dressing than something heavy and goopy. You may need to add more dressing if your potato salad is wet.

What kind of potatoes are best for making a potato salad?

Because they don’t easily break down as quickly as russet potatoes, waxy potato varieties, such as Yukon Gold and red potatoes, work well in potato salad. These waxy varieties are also more creamy than usual, making them extra delicious in potato salad.

SUBSTITUTIONS

Potato salad can be made in many ways, and each family will have its way of making it. These are some items that can be substituted for potato salad without changing too much from the southern-style roots of potato salad:

  • Red onion replaces the green onion
  • Red wine vinegar can be replaced with apple cider vinegar
  • Lawry’s seasoning salt or another salt substitute for the Tony’s Chachere’s
  • Sweet relish can be replaced with dill relish or chopped sweet pickles
  • Dijon mustard or Creole mustard can be used in place of yellow mustard
  • Use Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise to get a sweeter end

HOW LONG IS IT GOOD?

The potato salad will keep in the fridge for approximately 3-4 days. You can make half batches if you cannot finish an 8-cup batch in the time allowed. You can adjust the serving size in the below recipe, and all ingredients will be adjusted accordingly.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH POTATO SALAD

Potato salad is a classic summer BBQ and potluck dish! The creamy potato salad and sweet and tangy BBQ sauce are unbeatable! My potato salad was served alongside my BBQ Cheddar Baked Chicken, Three Bean Salad and Brown Sugar Roasted Pork Loin. It would also be a great side dish to burgers or Black Bean Burgers, classic homemade meatloaf or Blackened Salmon with Zucchini.

CLASSIC SOUTHERN-STYLE POTATO SALAD

This Southern Style Potato Salad is a classic. It uses mustard and mayonnaise to create a rich, creamy dressing that’s rich and tangy.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: Each cup contains 1 cup

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes ($3.49)
  • 1 tsp. salt ($0.03)
  • 2 large eggs ($0.42)
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise ($0.75)
  • 1 Tbsp yellow mustard ($0.08)
  • 1 Tbsp sweet relish ($0.08)
  • 1 Tbsp red vinegar (0.10)
  • 1/2 tsp Tony Chachere seasoning* ($0.05).
  • 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
  • 2 green onions ($0.22)
  • 2 ribs celery (1 Cup chopped) ($0.32)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Cut your potatoes into 1-inch cubes by peeling, washing, and chopping them. To remove any starch, rinse the potatoes in cool water. Cover the potatoes with cold water and place them in a large saucepan. Bring the water to a boil on high heat. Boil the potatoes for ten minutes or until tender. To ensure tender potatoes, pierce the potatoes with a fork. Drain in a colander. To cool the potatoes, rinse them briefly with cool water.
  • Cook the eggs while the potatoes boil. Cover the eggs with cold water and place them in a small saucepan. Bring the pot to boil on high heat. Please turn off the heat and let them boil for one minute. Cover the pot with a cover and allow the eggs to sit in the boiling water for 15 minutes. Then, pour the hot water out and use cool water to stop the egg from cooking. Once the eggs have cooled, you can peel and dice them.
  • Make the dressing while the potatoes and eggs cook. Mix mayonnaise, mustard and relish. Add Tony’s (or seasoning salt) to taste.
  • Finely chop the celery and cut the green onions.
  • Combine the cooked, cooled and drained potatoes with the chopped celery, diced green onion, diced eggs and dressing in a large bowl. Mix everything and coat with the dressing. You can make a potato salad that is softer and less chunky by mashing the potatoes.
  • After tasting, adjust the seasonings or mustard to your taste and serve.

NOTES

*Or your favorite seasoning salt