I’m just going to put it out there. Mayo and I are not friends. Miracle Whip and I are mortal enemies, but mayo…he’s just not my favorite.
I could have an open jar of mayo sitting in my fridge for months before I realized it was there. I don’t put it on my sandwiches and I hardly ever cook with it.
However, there are those recipes that you just need mayo for. I’ve tried substituting plain Greek yogurt, light mayo or light sour cream for some recipes for health benefits but they just don’t taste the same. Sometimes you just need regular old mayo.
And this is one of those times. To really get a Perfect Potato Salad you have to bite the bullet and scoop yourself up some mayo.
I do use a little more sour cream in my recipe to tone down the mayo “flavor”. I also add fresh herbs and onion that meld together nicely.
This is yet again another recipe that is easy to make ahead of time before serving. In fact, it tastes better the longer it sits.
Usually I make it the day before I plan on serving it. If you plan on doing this, leave the salad a little more runny because the potatoes will absorb a little of the moisture over night. It’s easier to add more potatoes the next day than to try to add more dressing and still get the flavor right.
I love the fresh basil in this potato salad. It gives it such freshness, not to mention a little color.
And don’t forget a little more paprika on top for another pop of color to really make your perfect side stand out.
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you my little secret with this potato salad. It’s made from baked potato leftovers! That’s right. If you know you are going to be baking potatoes, throw a few extra in the oven so you can make potato salad the next day.
Since I always drizzle my baked potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and wrap them in tin foil to keep them moist, it gives an additional earthy flavor to my potato salad. Just make sure your potatoes aren’t the extra large russet potatoes that can be dry after baking.
But if you don’t have precooked potatoes on hand, all you need to do is boil up a few and you’re good to go.
So there you go. The next time you bring potato salad to a potluck, you can tell everyone that they are eating your leftovers! Or maybe not…
Let’s take a poll. Miracle Whip or Mayo???
- 5-6 medium red or baking potatoes*
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 teaspoons mustard
- 2 teaspoons chopped basil, plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ dill pickle relish
- 1 cup diced celery
- 3 tablespoons finely minced onion
- 5 chilled hard boiled eggs*
- Dice leftover baked potatoes into bite size chunks, about ½" cubes. Otherwise bring pot of water to boiling. Wash potatoes and place in boiling water. Cook for 30-35 minutes or until knife inserts easily into potato when pierced. Drain water and set aside to cool. Once cooled, cube potatoes into bite size pieces keeping or discarding the skin according to preference.
- In a large mixing bowl add mayo, sour cream, paprika, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, mustard, basil and oregano. Mix thoroughly. Add dill relish and stir.
- Dice celery and mix into mayo mixture. Mince onion and add to mixture. Stir to combine.
- Remove shells from eggs. Coarsely cut 4 of the eggs and add to the mayo mixture.
- Add 4 cups diced potatoes to dressing. Mix until all potatoes are wet with dressing. If serving that day add more potatoes to reach desired consistency. If reserving for the next day, leave salad a little more wet.
- Slice remaining egg before serving for garnish on top of salad. Garnish with sprinkled paprika and chopped green onions or chives as well. You may also garnish with bacon bits.
