Famous Potato Salad

Ok, in the interest of keep things new and interesting around here, I'm going to share my Famous Potato Salad recipe with you. I'm pretty sure Budman didn't decide to propose to me until AFTER I fed him this potato salad. This recipe is one I've developed over years, adapted from several family recipes.

I'm a little disappointed with the way my pictures turned out, but we'll just make the best with what we have. Heck, it's my first attempt at a recipe post anyway.

Let's begin:

You will need mayonnaise, mustard, pickles, olives, salt, pepper and of course, potatoes (not shown)

Optionally, you may also add 3-4 strips of bacon, chopped. That's what I did today, because I had some left over from Breakfast.

Now, I normally add chopped red onion to my Potato Salad. It adds a good flavor, and it looks so pretty against the yellow... Unfortunately, Budman does not like raw onions, so I generally end up leaving them out, or else he won't eat any. Sometimes, if I'm feeling particularly ambitious, I will set aside some without onions for him, before adding onions to the rest.

But anyway, back to the preparation.

First, naturally, you will need to wash and peel the potatoes. Ignore the blurry photos. I had the camera settings all wrong. Grr...

Generally, I use one potato per person, not counting the children, this will give you plenty, and you will have leftovers (YAY!!) We had nine grown-type persons today, so nine potatoes... (I know you just counted - I did!!)

Now, I cut the potatoes in 1 inch slices, then quarter them. You don't have to be exact, but you want them to be close in size so that all the pieces cook at about the same rate.

Then place them in the (salted) water on the stovetop. You can heat the water before you put in the potatoes, or you can wait until they are added to heat the water. I do it differently every time, depending on my mood. If you place the potatoes in the heated water, just be careful of splashes!!

Cook the potatoes until they are fork-tender. You don't want them too done, but you want to be able to mash them fairly easily.

When they are done, you can use a potato masher to mash them up. Or, if you like, you can throw them in the KitchenAid Mixer (or use a hand mixer) if you like them completely smooth. I usually like to use the Stand mixer, but mine has gotten a little dusty, and I didn't feel like getting it out and cleaning it off so that I could use/take pictures of it. Either way, this recipe is super easy like that.

Add Salt & Pepper

Still looking like Mashed Potatoes at this point, but now... We add the Mayonnaise.

And a little more. Start off slow, you can always add more, but you can't take it out.

I put in three big spoonfuls to begin with for 9 potatoes, but I did end up adding more later.

Mix it in well, you want it smooth and creamy, then add the Mustard.

Again, add a little, mix it up, and taste until you've got enough. If you accidentally put in a little too much, just add a little more Mayo.

Now, it's time to get the pickles... It doesn't matter what kind you use, this is just what we had in the fridge.

Chop them up - I like to leave them a little large, but again, this recipe is all about what makes you happy.

And some olives...

Chop them up a little.

Dump it all in, and mix it up. (At this point,the color is not quite yellow enough, so I added more mustard.) Also, if you're using red onions in your potato salad, now's the time to add them in. And here's my secret ingredient, I always add a teaspoon or two of olive or pickle juice and mix it in.

Now, at this point you can be done...

Or, you can throw in the bacon pieces...

Once it's all mixed in, smooth it out, all pretty like (I'm OCD like that)

Now, once I've finished, I like to put some foil on top, and put it in the fridge. I LOVE my 'tater salad cold.

Of course, you can totally serve it hot, and it still tastes delish!!

So, give it a try, and let me know how it turns out!!

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Oh - and head on over to see http://halftimelessons.blogspot.com/.

He's having a triple giveaway. Check it out!!!