Sometimes a classic side dish needs no updates or modifications. While I usually find ways to make slight changes or additions to quintessential dishes, a good potato salad is usually as simple as possible. This is the incredibly straight-forward, but delicious side dish my partner makes throughout the summer. It’s incredibly easy to throw together with ingredients you may already have and will quickly disappear from any barbeque or picnic spread.
Ingredients:
- 3 medium Russet potatoes
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1/3 cup minced dill pickles
- 1/4 cup minced celery
- 1 1/2 cup good mayonnaise (such as Hellman’s or Best Foods)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons pickle brine
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra
- Smoked paprika
Thoroughly scrub potatoes, although leave whole and with the skin on. Place potatoes in a medium to large saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Boil approximately 20-30 minutes (largely depends on the size of your potatoes), or until tender and easily pierced with a paring knife (you don’t want any resistance). Once potatoes are cooked, remove from water, transfer to a bowl of ice water, and chill until just cool enough to handle (although still warm). By boiling the potatoes with the skin on, they become much easier to peel. Cut into a medium dice and sprinkle with salt.
Meanwhile, bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once water is boiling, lightly lower three eggs in using a slotted spoon, adjusting the heat so it’s a vigorous simmer or light boil. Cook for 8 minutes. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water, and cool until mostly chilled (a few minutes). Gently crack eggshells and peel, chopping into a small dice.
To assemble the dressing, mix together mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire, pickle brine, and salt. Start by adding less salt (about 1/4 teaspoon)—mustard and Worcestershire are heavy on the salt and pickle brine varies widely when it comes to salt levels; you can always add more.
To assemble salad, mix together potatoes, eggs, onion, pickles, and celery. Toss together with almost all of the dressing, reserving a few tablespoons. It’s ideal to assemble the salad while the potatoes are still warm; they absorb flavor better. Stir and let chill. Right before serving, mix in the remainder of the dressing (if the salad looks a little dry). Taste for seasoning (a chilled salad may need more salt). Sprinkle with a light dusting of paprika.
