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Mom’s potato salad

Mom’s Potato Salad

This is the potato salad I ate growing up.  No mayonnaise here, just oil and vinegar, Italian-style potato salad. Don’t get me wrong. I like the mayonnaise-based dressing as well as the next person, but this version is my kind of comfort food. I’ve made one change to the way my mom made it – and that’s to add a touch of Dijon mustard. It’s also good with cooked green beans tossed in too, a recipe my mother-in-law used to make. Now that summer is approaching, I’ll be making this often. Once you try it, I’ll bet you will too. Make sure you use those Red Bliss potatoes. They keep their waxy texture well and don’t fall apart during the boiling. A lot of other potatoes are just too starchy and absorbent and you end up having to add more and more oil. You don’t even have to peel these either. Scrub them well before boiling. And make sure you wait until they’re cool before you add the dressing. Mom’s Potato Salad 6 Red Bliss potatoes Place potatoes in a pot. Cover with water and put the lid on. Boil for about 30- 45 minutes or until tender. Test with a fork or knife to see if it pierces easily. Pour off the hot water and replace with cold water. Let the potatoes cool before cutting into chunks and proceeding with the dressing. Dressing: Use your own judgment to decide if this is enough dressing for your potato salad. Naturally, a lot will depend on the size of your potatoes. I usually use a ratio of about 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, or sometimes 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. You decide what floats your boat. 1/4 cup olive oil 1/8 cup red wine vinegar salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup red onion, minced 1 tsp. Dijon mustard handful of minced parsley Blend all of the above together with a fork or a whisk and mix into the potatoes. Toss in the parsley and mix well.

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This Post Has 22 Comments

  5. Me too! I just started eating potato salad with mayo a few years ago and it can't have a lot of mayo or I don't like it. I love that you put dijon mustard in it. My mom didn't do that.

  6. I usually make a spud salad like this with some variances, depending on my mood. Dijon is the main player here – luv it.

  11. I grew up on this potato salad too! My mother still makes it for every picnic and barbecue. My husband is a mayo man, so I have to switch back and forth. Yours looks great! I'll have to try adding mustard next time.

  14. nice food it sound delicious. It sound great and….yummy. thanks for the recipes. I'll wait you on my blog also, I have content about: the most frightening food in Asia" thanks

  15. This version sounds delicious! While I grew up on some of the mayo based potato salads and still find them comforting, I find now that I enjoy the lighter versions. Yours sounds fantastic!

  17. I grew up with this too Linda, we always tossed in fresh green beans and I still do, but next time I'll try your mustard addition, sounds like it would make it even better!
    Yumm!

  20. You know, this is the way potato salad should be made. With good olive oil, some vinegar and a hint of Dijon, a herby touch and some seasonings! Brilliant job! I think the mayo-drenched variety should be illegal because it's awful! This looks fantastic!

  22. Lol, you gave me a great idea, I'll post about my mum's potato salad, different as well (I'll put a link back to your post!) great idea, our mum's favs :))

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