Roseville Columnist Shares Her "World's Greatest Potato Salad"

Pardon me while I don my food writer's hat to comment on potato salad, the glue binding the All- American picnic. 

Spuds allow a fertile field for ingenuity, and I applaud cooks who are creative when making this summer staple. Pickles -- to be or not to be? Colored peppers -- sure, why not. To toss cooked potatoes with only mayonnaise and call it potato salad is, to my tastes, a culinary sin. Flavor is the goal, and marinade is the means.

My mother, Ellen Ostman, taught me to make potato salad, and she was a renowned cook. I don't know where she learned her technique but I have never found one I like better.  And I am willing to share.

I've already given you a hint: marinate hot-as-you-can-handle-them cooked potato cubes in a brew of oil, vinegar, dry mustard, with touches of sugar, paprika, salt and freshly ground pepper (white pepper, if you have it, but black will do just fine). The concept is that the warm potatoes will soak flavor inside so your salad tastes of more than mayonnaise.

These are my other secrets:

Use a double dose of mustard, dry in the marinade and prepared during final mixing. I use either Grey Poupon or even a honey mustard.

Yellow potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, give the salad color that transcends the overcoat of mayonnaise. Their texture is also ideal of a salad that won't turn to mush.

Of all the mayos and salad dressings on the market, I prefer Spin Blend. It's sometimes hard to find, but keep looking.

It is essential to keep your potato salad chilly. My sister-in-law just gifted me with a Pampered Chef covered bowl with a core that can be frozen to keep foods cold. It will be ideal for this salad. Or carry in a cooler if you are taking a bowlful to a picnic. Encourage seconds so that it all gets eaten up first time around. Believe me, once this salad is tasted, everyone will want more.

You may embellish the recipe if you wish with bits of sweet pickle or tiny dice of colored bell peppers. I always adorn the finished batch with slices of hard-cooked egg and paprika. If you want to make a classy presentation, line the serving bowl with well-washed-and-dried Romaine leaves, tips to the top.

What I give you here is the classic version of what I firmly believe is The World's Greatest Potato Salad.

Marinade:

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon (or more) dry mustard

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

Generous grinding of fresh pepper (white or black)

Salad:

5 pounds of potatoes (Yukon Gold preferred), boiled, then peeled while hot

6 green onions, sliced

1 sweet onion, finely diced

3 cups salad dressing (Spin Blend preferred)

1/4 cup cream or half and half

1 to 2 tablespoons prepared mustard, such as Dijon

6 ribs celery, finely diced

8 eggs, hard-cooked and peeled

To make the marinade: Combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar, paprika, salt and freshly-ground pepper in a small bowl or pitcher. Beat with wire whisk until blended.

To prepare the potatoes: Boil potatoes, skin-on, until tender but not mushy. Drain. Peel as soon as possible, while still very warm. Roughly dice the potatoes into a large bowl or a 10-by-15-inch glass cake pan As soon as a layer of potatoes covers the bottom of the bowl or pan, spinkle with some chopped green onion and sweet onion. Drizzle with marinade (rewhisk to blend if necessary). Repeat layers of potatoes, onions and marinade until all are used. Cover the bowl or pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours, or until thoroughly chilled.

To finish the salad: Combine the salad dressing, cream and prepared mustard. Taste; add more mustard if desired. Add chopped celery to the potatoes. Dice up the eggs and add, reserving the best center slices for garnish, if desired. Add the salad dressing and mix lightly until the potatoes are coated. Adjust seasoning to taste. Spoon into lettuce-lined serving bowl. Decorate with reserved egg slices and sprinkle with paprika. Keep cold until serving.  Makes 12 to 15 portions. Refrigerate leftovers and serve again as quickly as possible.