I used to always make it with mostly mayo and some yellow mustard. But one day I had some at my SIL's house and it wasn't yellow but it was tangy and she said she used half and half mayo and sour cream. I've been making it with sour cream ever since. I think that it's very subjective though...depends on your taste. Some people like it sweet and others, like me, like it tangy. I've had it made with miracle whip...YUCKY! I do not like MW! My husband on the other hand can't get enough of MW...he heaps his sandwiches full of it.

I also enjoy good potato salad. We had a deli and I made all the potato salads from scratch. No tubs of salad from a food service for me. Even though the deli has been closed for about seven years now, I still run into former customers who tell me they miss the salads we made.

One thing I would caution you about, when you cut up the potatoes before cooking, they can absorb water which in turn can make you salad soupy. It would be better to cook the potatoes, then cut them up. If you find mayonnaise based dressings too thick, it would be better to thin the dressing with milk, to your liking.

Here are the basic recipes I used.

Backwoods Basic Potato Salad

when I first started making this basic salad for the deli, I did not use pickle relish. But I did listen to my customers and added it. It may just be a local thing but it did add to the salad. You can use a dill relish also.

3# cooked and cooled red potatoes, chopped
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 lg stalks of celery, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
1/4 C sweet pickle relish

Dressing

1 1/2 C Hellman's (Best Foods) mayo
1 tsp celery seed
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dry mustard

Combine dressing ingredients and toss with potato mixture.

Here's a recipe I made up and which I use for a lot of things:

3 medium large cloves of garlic
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (or more to taste)
1/4 cup finely minced fresh dill
2-3 tsp lemon juice (I use Meyer lemons from my tree)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Chop the garlic and grind it in a mortar & pestle with the salt. If you don't have a M&P, you can mash it with the side of a chef's knife to get it into a paste - this step is crucial for the flavor of the garlic. Combine in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients (add more black pepper, if desired - I haven't measured it), and refrigerate it for at least an hour. You can adjust the lemon juice to your taste, and it will also make it a little less thick. If you want a less intense flavor, you can add more sour cream and/or mayonnaise.

This is the first time I've written this recipe down, but I've made it countless times. It is my favorite thing to have with potatoes, whether they be baked, boiled, fried, or chips. I made it originally as a dip for chips, but it works for potato salad as well.

Lars

My potato salad goes a bit different, I season the potatoes, not the dressing.

For my purposes i need at least warm potatoes so i boil mine in quarters, drain and toss to cool a bit. Then as soon as i can handle them I chop them up into a big bowl.

Then I sprinkle the warm potato pieces with apple cider vinegar and toss well. The potato actually absorbs the vinegar.

Now I sprinkle on a commercial seasoned pepper, not unlike Montreal Steak Spice but its a knock off from a restaurant supply place in Calgary, S&P and a bit of citrus either via zest or a lemon pepper type dry seasoning.

toss well. At this point these potatoes make pretty good pan fries.

add in all the stuff, I use radish, sweet peppers, celery, grated carrot, chopped dill pickle, red onion.

Mix well.

Now I mix in the "dressing" which is simply mayo but I make it extra tangy.

Now the chopped eggs go in and on, so they are last in order to not break up.

This mess has to sit in the fridge for a couple of hours so everything marries up.

I never use red potatoes, too often they're like blocks of ice. I don't want crunchy potatoes in potato salad. Bacon, eggs, onion, celery, radishes, etc. Cook the taters whole, peel, chill completely and cut in large chunks rather than the little hashbrown cubes that so many use.

For the dressing, first a splash of vinegar goes on the potatoes, if I think of it I do it while they're hot, then into the frig to chill. I mix in salad dressing (mayo has no flavor), a touch of Ranch dressing and I also put in sour cream or I'll use a Ranch or bacon/onion dip. And of course there's the seasonings to go in too.

This makes for a hearty salad that isn't mushy. The potatoes must be well cooked, not crunchy (hence, no reds - people seldom can cook them properly) and big chunks of egg and potato. You fold in the ingredients to not break up the eggs & taters.

Sounds more complicated than it really is.

Jim:
I usually make mine like Wizardum does the Backwoods Basic
but add a little Bay Seasoning.

If I want a small fast batch, I cook the Potatoes in the Micro Wave.
LOU

I like to mix mayonaise with a dab of prepared mustard, a hefty amount of paprika, and a few tablespoons of Del Monte (and only Del Monte) Sweet Pickle Relish.

I make my potato salad with red potatoes, finely chopped celery, finely chopped dill pickles or dill relish, chopped boiled egg, salt and fresh ground pepper. Add enough "thinned mayo" to hold together. I thin the mayo with a some dill pickle juice....makes the mayo less "sticky" and adds flavor. No measurements, just add pickle juice until it looks right to you. I generally use those Hamburger dill chips and the juice from the jar.

My favourite potato salad dressing is 1/2 mayo, 1/2 creme fraiche or sour cream, a dollop of Dijon mustard, a healthy splash of cider or red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Sometimes the devil in me adds a squirt of hot sauce when no one is looking.

I had found I a hit on my hands, when I was in a crazy hurry, for a quickie-cheatie potato salad/cold slaw dressing...

Half mayo, half bottled ranch dressing, celery salt, pepper, and sugar if it's cold slaw. Hard boiled eggs helped thicken the dressing for the potato salad.

I don't generally use bottled dressings. But, I was in a strange, not very well stocked kitchen and you work with what you have. People loved it!

Nowadays, I usuallly only make potato salad when requested to bring it to a picnic.

My basic dressing is 1/2 mayo, 1/4 sour cream and 1/4 buttermilk with some prepared mustard, celery seeds, s & p, cider vinegar, and white sugar to taste. I add finely chopped scallions and chopped hard boiled eggs to the finished dressing rather than the potatoes so they get distributed along with the dressing.

Base salad is red potatoes simmered in their skins; then chilled, peeled and cubed in bite-sized chunks.

I was surprised to see that no dressings posted above use buttermilk.

I also make potato salad with a lemon, parsley and olive oil dressing but that's a different animal.

I make potato salad with
Russets....Peeled and cut into 1 inch dice, then cooked. I find that potatoes peeled and cut up before cooking are actually less watery than cooked whole potatoes. because you don't have to cook them so long....perhaps 8 minutes of boiling, drain, return to pot to dry out a bit, sprinkle with salt and toss.
But I digress.
I make the dressing before peeling the potatoes, so it's pretty well a toss up about how much to make.
I cut up one small sweet onion into 1/4 inch dice and add and add a little more than half a cup of mayo (not low fat) and 2 tablespoons of Grey Poupon mustard, about 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, and 2 or more tablespoons of well drained sweet pickle relish.
Toss with the potatoes....may not need all but add enough to moisten well. Then I add celery seed, enough to see, and lots of black pepper oh and of course eggs!. Between the celery seed and the pepper the potato salad should look pretty speckley!
I don't add celery because after only a couple of hours, the salt in the salad will draw moisture from the celery and the potato salad gets watery. Sometimes I will add some celery to the amount I know will be eaten in a meal. I think potato salad gets better after an over-night in the refrigerator, but celery doesn't.
Linda C

I also make mine like Nancy/Wizardnm's Basic Backwoods potato salad. I use red potatoes or yukon gold or russets or whatever I have on hand or is growing in the garden. I always cut them before cooking and I want them tender, but not falling apart. Not hard or crunchy, not even very firm, they've got to be well done or the stuff becomes compost in my family.

IWhat goes into it for veggies depends on what I have on hand, I've tried everything front red peppers to cuccumber and don't see any appreciable difference, it's all potato salad. Always onions. Dad liked potatoes, eggs and nions, with dressing. That's all, nothing else.

And I HATE to make potato salad, for some reason, so I seldom make it. I like it, but I don't love it, so it's not worth the trouble for me but I make it once or twice a summer for cookouts.

Annie

Instead of regular onions, chop up some whole green onions for more color. I'm not wild about the celery, tho. Most people leave the chunks way too large. Try chopped water chestnuts instead for crunch.

I could live on potato salad.

I'm like Rachel in that I like to add the hard boiled yolks to the dressing. I usually mash 2 yolks per cup of mayo, a couple teaspoons of apple cider vinegar, lots of French's mustard. I really like an eggy dressing. I like to make the red potatoes the day before, mix them with thinly sliced green onions and season them with one of the following: Penzey's 4S, Seasonall or Lawrys seasoning.

The next day I mix a little finely minced celery, the chopped eggs, dressing and potatoes together. And I serve pickle relish and capers on the side.

Now I am going to wish I had some after I'm done shoveling the 9-10" of snow we got last night/today. Oh well - it is March and it is Minnesota!

I like any type of potato for potato salad, preferably boiled with the skin on. While they are cooking I prepare everything else so it is ready while they are still hot. I mix a little vinegar and oil together, add salt and pepper and set aside. I chop the onions, boiled eggs and celery if I'm using celery. I mix equal parts mayonnaise and sour cream. Some add dijon here. I don't. If I want to thin this mixture I use either milk or chicken broth.

When potatoes are peeled and chopped I toss in the onions, celery or celery seed, then pour the oil and vinegar over and toss well. Then I add the eggs and sometimes I add sliced radishes for crunch or even pimento for color, then pour the sour cream/mayo mixture over and mix well.

Here is another potato salad recipe that I like:

Russian Banana Fingerling Potato Salad

To Cook the Potatoes and prepare the Salad:

1 lb. Russian Banana Fingerling Potatoes (Yukon Gold Potatoes may be substituted)
Water to cover
Salt

Scrub potatoes and place in a medium pot. Cover with cold water and add salt. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer and cook until you can just pass a knife comfortably through a potato. Remove from heat and strain.

1/4 cup Chicken Broth
2 tsp. Champagne Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Granulated Sugar
1/2 bunch Chopped Chives
Salt and freshly ground White Pepper

Combine broth, vinegar, sugar, chives and seasoning to taste. While still warm, rub (peel) skins from potatoes with the back of a pairing knife. (Not only is it easier to rub the skins while the potatoes are still warm, it is also important to combine the marinade or "dressing" with the potatoes while the potatoes are warm as they will better absorb the flavors). Pare and slice potatoes into 1/6 inch thick pieces. Place potatoes in a bowl and pour dressing over, stirring gently. Allow flavors and liquid to "draw" for at least 1/2 hour.

Note: This salad is best served at room temperature.

For the more traditional potato salad, I will add dill pickle relish, but never the sweet pickle relish, and if I am ordering it at a restaurant, I always ask whether they use sweet pickle relish and will not order it if they do. I do the same with tartar sauce. I've also used tartar sauce on potato salad.

Lars

This is my favorite. I have quadrupled it for groups and it would appear, everyone loves it. Usually get several requests for the recipe. I use red wine vinegar.
For today, I copied and pasted this from Food Network where it is highly rated but I've been making it for years from her book.

French Potato Salad

1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Prep Time:
20 min
Inactive Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
30 min

Level:
Easy

Serves:
4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

* 1 pound small white boiling potatoes
* 1 pound small red boiling potatoes
* 2 tablespoons good dry white wine
* 2 tablespoons chicken stock
* 3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
* 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 10 tablespoons good olive oil
* 1/4 cup minced scallions (white and green parts)
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
* 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
* 2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves

Directions

Drop the white and red potatoes into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until they are just cooked through. Drain in a colander and place a towel over the potatoes to allow them to steam for 10 more minutes. As soon as you can handle them, cut in 1/2 (quarters if the potatoes are larger) and place in a medium bowl. Toss gently with the wine and chicken stock. Allow the liquids to soak into the warm potatoes before proceeding.

Combine the vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Add the vinaigrette to the potatoes. Add the scallions, dill, parsley, basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Lars, I do the same thing when asking about a restaurant's potato salad, pasta salad or chicken salad. If it has sweet pickle in it I don't want it.

I like to use kipfler potatoes if I can get them. It is easy to cook them just right and they are waxy and firm while tender.
For dressing I like to mix Hellman's or homemade mayonnaise with a good dollop of seeded mustard and a good slosh of either ranch dressing or creamy Caesar salad dressing, I like a bit of garlicy-ness in the dressing. I also add plenty of hard boiled eggs and a few finely sliced spring onions to the mix.

Have any of you added one tablespoon of hot pepper jelly to potato salad dressing? It has become my 'secret ingredient'.

nandina, that sounds very interesting! I bet that would be a great addition to deviled eggs too! I'll have to give it a try!

I didn't mention the Louisiana Hot Sauce, but I guess I figure that as a seasoning. I'm also thinking of trying a bit of horseradish in my next batch to see how that works out.

And for me, pickles of any type and more than a tiny bit of mustard aren't allowed near my potato salad.

Thanks so much, everyone. You've given me some good guidance and ideas to work on. Some, such as using chicken broth, I had never heard of. Others, such as adding vinegar to the cooked potatoes, I had heard of and experimented with a bit, but you gave me helpful specific information. Reading the various combinations and ratios of liquid ingredients (mayo, sour cream, ranch dressing, buttermilk, etc.) was most interesting.

Now I will improvise a salad using some of your ideas. I have ingredients, including buttermilk and cooked potatoes, in the fridge ready to go. This could lead to my eating a lot of potato salad in the near future, some of which no doubt will accompany an experimental meatloaf or two.

Jim

No one's mentioned the cooked dressing potato salad that's so common where I'm from in Virginia. Cook slowly until thick over low heat or in double boiler:

3 eggs, beaten
3/4 c. vinegar
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. flour
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. celery seeds

Mix in about an equal amount of mayonnaise (more or less as you prefer) and pour over potatoes (always peeled and cubed russets) and chopped onion. I dress the potatoes while they're still warm and this salad tastes great warm, room temperature and cold. Sweet, tangy and yellow, I made this just today with homemade mayo, oh so good!