Mama's Potato Salad!


 
For me, potato salad sort of falls into the same category as meat loaf and cornbread, it seems basic and a lot of people make it, but it's something that people can really mess up for some reason.  When it's bad, it's usually way bad.  My mother, makes the best potato salad I have ever eaten, so I guess I am spoiled to hers.  I went and cooked with her yesterday to get the exact recipe and see what her 'secret' is.  I didn't get step by step pictures, mainly because my mother moves too fast, and also because it's actually pretty basic.   So here are the ingredients:

 
4-5 large baking potatoes or 8 cups diced (baked)
1/2 cup sweet onion like Vidalia
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup chopped pimento
4 eggs boiled
1 stick melted butter
1 1/2 cups Miracle Whip (if you must use mayonnaise, use mayonnaise)
2 tsp. yellow mustard
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper


First boil the eggs and let them cool, peel and chop them, bake the baking potatoes until they are done.  She bakes hers in the microwave.  When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and dice them. Chop the celery, onion, and pimento fairly fine...no big chunks.  Place the eggs, potatoes, chopped celery, pimento, onion and relish in a large mixing bowl.  Pour the stick of melted butter over all. Add 1 1/2 cup Miracle Whip, if you are one of those people that has to use mayonnaise only, us it instead.  This is one of those things that really needs the Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise, but it's a matter of taste and what you like too.   This is one of the few things we use Miracle Whip in, instead of mayonnaise because it just makes it taste better.   Add the mustard, sugar, salt and pepper and stir it up good.   You can sprinkle the top with some paprika for a little color or (this is my touch, not my mother's)  I use some Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning to dust the top for a little color and kick.


Mama's Potato Salad!    

76 comments:

  1. I do it just like this but my husband hate MW and I use mayo now still very good

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  2. Have never heard of adding melted butter to potato salad.

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    1. Me either...what does it do to the taste?

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    2. Wow butter? I'm gonna try it like this next time!!

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    3. Wow butter? I'm gonna try it like this next time!!

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    4. Making this potato salad now -- for a church dinner. Never heard of using butter either.

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    5. Must add -- this potato salad is FABULOUS!!!

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    6. I always use melted butter in mine, makes it so good. I also put a little dill pickle relish in mine, and a little sour cream. Blue plate mayo, no miracle whip. Mine always gets rave reviews and I don't even measure, except I put in a stick of butter or if using tub margarine, I use about a couple of tbsp.

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  3. Never made it with the melted butter.

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  4. Can margarine be used instead of butter- I also have not heard of butter in potato salad but it sounds good and rich to me !! :) And that may be why my potato salad just never seemed quite like all the "older ladies"'s potato salad...It makes sense -especially if you make it like everyone in our area did - they made mashed potatoes and then added all the goodies --- butter was a must for mashed potatoes so like I said- makes sense - don't know why I never thought of it !!! :)
    lol now-I'm one of those "older ladies" so I'm glad I found out the "trick" before too late :)

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    1. I make a mashed potato Potato Salad and put butter in it...super yummy! Going to try this one soon.

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    2. Please don't add margarine. I don't mean to sound like one of those people that tells others what to do....even if that is what I am doing..lol. But margarine is just awful stuff. It is almost like eating plastic while butter is a natural food, margarine is poison.

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    3. I never use margarine for ANYTHING! In this case, use "light" butter.....better for you! I haven't used margarine in years....don't even have it in the house. It's poison!

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    4. I remember reading somewhere that margarine was originally developed as a quick way to fatten up hogs for slaughter, that it was never meant for human consumption.

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  5. very similar to mine but I put in a tablespoon of sour cream...it's awesome!

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  6. Have never heard of adding butter either, or baking potatoes...always boiled mine. May try this way though!

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  7. Sounds delicious! Will have to try this recipe. I love potato salad with boiled eggs (like my Mom's potato salad). One of my friends adds some olive oil to her potato salad. It tastes delicious. I guess the olive oil is similar to adding the melted butter.

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  8. The melted butter sounds like a delicious addition to potato salad! I'm going to try it. .

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  9. Close to my recipe, but I use almost a dozen boiled eggs and Helman's mayo instead of MW.

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  10. I make mine very similar, with only two changes. No celery and my southern family grew up with DUKES mayonaise which is the only one I consider mayo!!

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    1. Dukes rules!

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    2. I tried Duke's recently while visiting my cousin. I couldn' t tell any difference between Dukes or Hellmans.

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  11. This sounds very good ad a lot Ike how I make it. Next time I make potatoe salad, I will try this!

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  12. Make mine like my mamma does...MW..finely diced onion..chopped eggs, diced sweet pickles...a dash of mustard.. We mix it all while the potatoes are still quite warm...get a creamy texture but still has chunks.'

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    1. Sounds like my family's, but we usually use just plain red boiled potatoes, not baked or russett, then mashed with lumps & add the rest. No celery, & either MW or mayo whichever was on hand. It is best when freshly made & still slightly warm. I do not like it nearly as well after refrigerated; maybe why deli potato salad is not a favorite. I have a friend who can't stand my 'mashed' potato salad, but even though my mother's father's family was of German descent, no one in our family ever made the cold, chunky German potato salad for family dinners.

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  13. My mom use vinegar in hers...so many ways to make it.

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    1. I use vinegar too just like my mom. I will try this recipe though.

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  14. I have always put butter in my potato salad. that's the way my mother did it. She always made the best, I guess it was the love she put in it. I sure do miss her

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    1. My Mother also made the best I ever ate and she always added the celery. It gave it such a good flavor. Small kiddos pick it out, but so what. LOL!
      I also miss my Mother so very much. She was the best in the kitchen. Good girl raised in the country in the South!

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    2. You have to have the celery for that crunch factor...it is yummy!

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  15. Exactly how my mom made hers...she was born and raised and then retired in north Alabama.

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  16. Looks like another winner from Sweet Tea and Cornbread. I can't wait to try this! Thanks Mama!

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  17. I love miracle whip in my potato salad, I also use mayo.

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    1. I have tried using half MW and half mayo in mine since one wants one and another family member wants the other, that way I can tell them both it is in there.. they like it, even after finding out the truth lol

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  18. Wow butter? I have never heard of that, but I bet its good! I'm going to make it this way next time!!

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  19. I always get compliments on my potato salad and the secret ingredient that makes it so good is the butter.

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  20. I make mine the same way but without the butter. Miracle Whip adds that tasty zing. Mayo makes it too flat.

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  21. I have never used butter, interesting. My Grandma was from Georgia. She used dill pickles, mayonaise (she loved her mayo!) and no pimento that I remember. She always boiled her potatoes but I love they idea of baking them. She used to make pimento cheese that I loved!

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  22. That is exactly how I make mine except for the butter. Might try that next time.

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  23. Just like my mama used to make!!!!

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  24. Doesn't the butter congeal when it gets cold? I'm going to try this, tho, cause I'm curious...

    Thank your Mama for me.

    Ruthanne G.

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    1. Wondering about the "Butter" when refrig'ing the leftovers. Does it get "Stiff"? ... Need to come to room temp?
      WONDERING?

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  25. Never added butter celery or pimentos! We boil potatos because a little water from potatoes is used to add flavor. Also We use pickles not relish. My grandmother made an awesome potato salad and tought all us girls her southern style. Love it!

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  26. I am thinking this must be very sweet.. think I will try it though and use dill pickle relish on half of it

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  27. My Potato Salad is almost the same. I don't like celery so I leave that out. And I've put butter in mine for about the last ten years or so. So So GOOD!

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  28. Boiled potatoes,and boiled eggs. added Dill pickles,onions,celery. Then mayo,yellow mustard,salt,pepper and Dill...sprinkle Paparika...

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  29. How much is a stick of butter?

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  30. I like my tater salad with more mustard.This does look good though but I will not change.

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  31. Sounds like my mom's but we use Dukes Mayonnaise here in the south.

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    1. Born and raised in the South.. Louisiana and had never even heard of such a thing as Duke's Maynaise. Then we moved to GA and that is what you see in every grocery store. Krafts too, but more stock-up with the Duke's! Isn't that funny? HA!!

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  32. 1 stick butter is 4 ounces

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  33. Some times I add shredded cheddar cheese. It's really good!

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  34. STILL GONNA TICK TO MY MAMAS RECIPE EVERYONE ASK ME TO MAKE IT:) AND LES FAT IS BEST I LIKE TO TOP IT WITH CELERY SEED AND PAPRIKA

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  35. Never heard of adding butter. I make both my potato salad and deviled eggs using Marzetti's Cole slaw's dressing.

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  36. my mom always used mashpotatos with margerine otherwise made the same only used equal mustard and m.w. she alwas thought it was suppose to taste like a salade

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  37. NEVER USE BUTTER BUT CREAM CHEESE.MY GIRLS AND MY G'CHILDREN WANT EAT IT ANY OTHER WAY.

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  38. Made this potatoe salad today for a cookout and got alot of compliments on it. It was really good. I'm saving the recipe. I did not add the relish or pimentos though.

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  39. I make whipped potato salad, I had some left over mashed potatoes one day. Made with butter and cream. Added boiled eggs, sweet relish, onion, dash of mustard, and MW. The salad was a hit and my family loved it. This one sounds good also I will have to try it.

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  40. I use cream cheese, it gives the creamness & cuts down on mayo!!

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  41. I've made a lot of potato salads in my day, and I swear, no two have ever turned out the same. Mine is similar to this, except I use more hard boiled eggs, and no butter. I'm going to make this today. I love getting different recipes from other folks.

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  42. We don't like celery in ours, but do use some celery salt for the flavor!

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  43. Sounds good. The butter surprised me, may make it "creamier". I use Miracle Whip but pour some juice from sweet pickles over potatoes first and chill. A little more mustard than this recipe.

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  44. Why add unnecessary calories(butter) to something that is already tried and true? As a matter of fact why put sugar in it? .....another unnecessary for me.
    I like to actually taste the potato, egg, mayo, onion mixture. I add a little lemon pepper which brings out the flavor rather than make it drenched in calories.

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    1. This is for those who are looking for a recipe for good potato salad. If you have a recipe that you think is good, you don't need a recipe. I highly doubt that anyone has ever said, "let's go get some of that low cal potato salad...mmm mmm good!" lol

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  45. A stick of butter is a half cup or 1/4 pound. You see, you have 4 sticks in a pound of butter. *-*

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  46. I slice up bacon and fry it, add some of the bacon drippings along with the bacon....I'm a mayo on everything fan, but I do use MW in the potato salad. I use many more boiled eggs, so I guess it's a cross between potato salad and egg salad!

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  47. I don't put pickles or relish in my potato salad, however my Mama always added bacon, sliced thin and browned with about 2 T. bacon drippings (using 5 lbs. of potatoes). Always added at least 8 hard boiled eggs. And although I'm a "mayo on everything" type person, we always use MW in potato salad! Best done when potatoes are warm and flavors can blend. Cool overnight in the fridge, really brings out the flavors!

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  48. My Granny made her potato salad VERY similar to this except she basically whipped the potatoes creamy like mashed potatoes then put in all the ingredients .... So so so good :) And good to see a recipe so similar!

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  49. Anytime I make something like this, I always blend the spices with the mayo before mixing with the rest of of the "dry" ingredients to insure even distribution and minimize the amount of stirring required. In this mustard, sugar, and S&P would be mixed up with mayo then added to everything else.

    Wondering if maybe you could mash or rice one of the potatoes to make the whole thing "stickier"

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  50. I've always baked my potatoes for potato salad. I'll bake the day before, let them cool and then put in fridge. So much easier to cut up into chunks.

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