Want that perfect side dish for the big game today? Well I got you covered!
I feel potato salad should be simple. I once tasted potato salad with green peas! :(
I try to keep my potato salad recipe as simple as possible.
Ingredients:
6 Irish Potatoes
9 Large eggs
4 Green Onions
1/2 Bottle of Regular Mayo
Salt and Pepper to taste
First you want to peel your potatoes. I typically like to use your standard Irish potatoes. Use whatever kind you like. I peel mines before boiling because it allows me to dice it up much easier latter on. For this recipe I used 6 potatoes. It will take about 30 - 40 minutes to cook to the consistency required for the potato salad. You can always use the fork test. The fork should simply slide in and out of the potato with minimal resistance.
As for the Eggs I use about 1 1/2 egg per potato used. You can use more or less eggs if you want to. After the eggs come to a boil I time off about 9-10 minutes. You want hard boiled eggs for this.
The eggs will be ready before the potatoes, so in the mean time prepare a ice bath. As soon as the eggs are done, drain off the hot water and put the eggs in the ice bath. This helps to stop the cooking process, but it also makes the eggs a lot more easy to peel! Before I would use running cold water when peeling my eggs, but after using this method I never went back!
After the potatoes are done I add them to the eggs.
Next I use a long knife to chop up the eggs and potatoes while they are in the bowl. Why chop them up separately when you can just do it in the bowl? Before I would have to hand peel the potatoes after they were cooked and then chop them. Burnt myself plenty of times.
In the mean time, chop up about 3-4 green onions and add them to the eggs and potatoes.
Mix thoroughly. The residual heat coming from the potatoes and eggs will help to cook the green onions a little. If you want to reduce the pungency of the green onions some more, you can add them to a ice bath first. This is a technique used by ramen chefs. But I personally love the taste of raw green onions.
Add the mayo. I used about half a bottle for this recipe. You can use less if you want. Basically you need enough mayo to combine the ingredients. If you are health conscious, consider using lite or fat-free mayo. Mayo with olive oil is another great alternative. When mixing, try to scoop from the sides and then lift in the middle. Since the potatoes are soft, over mixing can cause them to mash too much.
Finally season to taste with salt and black pepper. If using regular mayo, be careful of adding too much salt. Regular mayo already contains a lot of salt.
And that's it! As for storage, consider letting the potato salad cool to room temperature. I like to store it in a zip-loc bag because it packs easily, does not take up a lot of space, and is easily transportable (like say taking this to a picnic or tailgating event in a ice cooler).
This recipe is great for as a side dish. It is a very good complement for meat dishes. I personally love it with barbecue and smoked meats. It is even great for Thanksgiving. Goes great with turkey and cranberry sauce, and a great contrast to warmer Thanksgiving side dishes.
As I finish this blog, I've already finished 4 helpings .... oof!
