Chunky Potato Salad with Egg

I love potato salad and have several on this blog.  You can find them here, here, here, here and here, and my most sought after Newfoundland Beet and Mustard Salad here.  You wouldn't think I had another potato salad left to make but I do and it's my absolute favourite.  

This is the potato salad I grew up eating.   Mom or Dad would make this salad for Sabbath dinner and, aside from the black olives and sliced cucumbers in vinegar, no matter how hard I try to remember what we'd eat with it I just can't remember.  The only thing I can remember is the salad and that's because I loved it and nothing else mattered on the plate.  Even today, I can eat only this potato salad and consider it a full meal. 

Chunks of potato, boiled eggs, apple and mayonnaise make up the bare bones of the salad.  And because I love onion, it's always an ingredient, as well.   Just those five ingredients make up a palatable dish but the additional ingredients bring it from "good" to "excellent".   I prefer my salad made with mayonnaise but if you like a Miracle Whip type of dressing use that instead--it's going to be your salad, the way you like it.  

If possible, make this salad the day before you will serve it.  


Chunky Potato Salad with Egg
2 pounds of potatoes peeled and boiled in lightly salted water
3 hard boiled eggs, diced plus extra for garnish if desired
½ cup frozen (or fresh) green peas, lightly cooked and cooled
2 green onions sliced, white and green parts or 2 tablespoons finely minced mild onion
1 or 2 apples peeled and diced
1 stalk celery sliced or diced
¼ cup chopped pickle, sweet or dill

Dressing:
¾-1 cup mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip type dressing if you don't like mayonnaise)
1 or 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Milk if needed

Cool the boiled potatoes, peas and eggs. Slice and dice any vegetable or fruit that will be used in the salad, including the pickle and eggs.

Place the cooled potatoes, eggs and peas in a large mixing bowl.  Add the chopped or diced onions, apples, celery and pickles. 

Mix the mayonnaise, mustard and sugar together and mix through the potatoes and vegetables.  Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.  If your salad needs more dressing add a little more.  If my salad tastes good but seems a little dry I often add a few tablespoons of milk to loosen it up.  That usually keeps it nice and creamy until serving time.  Remember the potatoes will continue to absorb any moisture while they are sitting in the fridge waiting to be served. 

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.  The salad is best made the day before serving as the flavours meld together and infuse throughout the potatoes.  Keep any remaining salad refrigerated and eat within 3 days.  (I never have potato salad last that long!)

Makes 8-10 servings

Seven or eight medium potatoes will give you about 2 pounds.  Peel and boil the potatoes in lightly salted water.  When you drain the cooked potatoes return them to the stove and let any extra moisture evaporate from the heat of the turned off burned.  

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, dice or chop into large to medium size pieces.  Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl.   Going from the bottom right clockwise you can see potatoes, apples, onions and celery, eggs, and green peas.  The pickles are in there somewhere--probably under the celery.  Add the apples last, just before you add the dressing so they won't turn brown.  Once all the ingredients are in the bowl, add the dressing.  I find it just as easy to dump everything in, instead of mixing the dressing separately, and hope for the best. 

Lightly but thoroughly mix the dressing through the salad.  Add more dressing if necessary.  If the salad seems dry add a few tablespoons of milk.  Refrigerate as soon as the salad is made. Leave several hours or overnight before serving. 

 
When ready to serve place in a nice serving bowl and garnish with a few egg slices.  

You can see how creamy the dressing is on the salad.  I always add a little milk.

All dressed and ready to eat!  

Chunky Potato Salad with Egg