Potato Salad is a
salad made from
potatoes, varying between different regions and countries of the world. Many people will say that they have the 'authentic' or the 'best' potato salad, and offer the 'one true' way to make a perfect potato salad. What is the 'best' salad is a purely personal preference - some people like the potatoes creamy and mingled with the dressing, some like them soft and tender, and others prefer them almost crisp.
General versions of potato salad include:
- salad made with baby potatoes, cooked in their jackets and left whole (skin on)
- larger potatoes, cooked in their jackets and then peeled and cut
- salad with mayonnaise/sour cream/milk dressing
- salad with vinegar dressing
- salad with bacon, anchovies, or mustard.
- salad with a fresh herb dressing and/or gherkins, capers and other spices.
- salad with raw onions, cooked onions or pickled onions.
The recipe which my mother gave me goes along like this:
8 large Irish potatos, peeled and boiled and quartered
2 onions, diced finely and mixed with the potatos
2 spoons of Mayonaisse
1 1/2 spoons of sour cream
10 Pickled Gherkins finely diced
3 carrots diced finely stirred in.
It's pretty simple, and tastes pretty good with BBQ's, roasts (tastes better baked for 10 minutes under 400°C).
A good potato salad must be original, suprise your guest without being too adventurous. Make sample sauces to see whether it takes nice. The potato salad is just an experiment waiting for your tinkering!