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Home » Recipe Index » Salads » Secret Ingredient Potato Salad Recipe

Secret Ingredient Potato Salad Recipe

June 30, 2009 by Kara Cook 8 Comments

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secret ingredient potato salad recipe
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Secret Ingredient Potato Salad – This recipe is a family favorite, and is always popular at potlucks!

secret ingredient potato salad title photo



You can’t really have a 4th of July picnic without potato salad, it would just be un-American, wouldn’t it? So I am sharing my favorite way to make potato salad. It is the recipe I grew up with. Kind of.

My mom never wrote a recipe down, she just gave me some instructions. I would just throw things in and keep tasting it till I get it just right. This time I tried really hard to measure things so you would have a general idea of what to put in it.

Just know that all the ingredients are adjustable, you can add more or less to your own liking. You can even omit things if you want.

 plate full of food on a red placemat

There are two things I like about this potato salad. First of all, it has pickles. I can eat potato salad without pickles, but it just doesn’t have the same pizazz. Second is the olives. I got that idea from my amazing friend Judy.
 
The first time I saw it I thought it was downright crazy. But then I tasted it and fell in love. Now I always add olives, and I love the extra flavor they give it. They are the secret ingredient that makes potato salad really special. Unless you hate olives, and then, by all means, leave them out. 😉
plate of potato salad, watermelon, and chicken salad sandwich
 
MORE TASTY SALAD RECIPES:
  • Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
  • Best Oriental Ramen Salad
  • Creamy Grape Salad
  • Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing for Spinach Salad

FAMILY FAVORITE POTATO SALAD RECIPE

Secret Ingredient Potato Salad

Kara
Best ever potato salad with eggs, green onions, celery, and pickles.
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Additional Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins
Course Salads
Cuisine American
Servings 10 servings
Calories 154 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 7 medium russet potatoes
  • 3 eggs hard boiled and chopped
  • 4 green onions sliced
  • 2 large dill pickles diced (If you prefer sweet pickles, you can use those instead.)
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • ½ cup black olives sliced

Sauce:

  • 1 cup Miracle Whip or mayonnaise I use light Miracle Whip
  • 2 Tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard
  • 1 tsp pickle juice optional
  • Salt and pepper to taste I used kosher salt

Instructions
 

  • Peel potatoes if desired. Sometimes I leave the skins on. Boil in salted water till fork tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Cool completely and cube.
  • In large bowl, combine potatoes, eggs, onions, pickles, celery, and olives in a large bowl.
  • Combine Miracle Whip, milk, mustard, and pickle juice in a small bowl and add to potato mixture.
  • Stir lightly till well mixed. Add salt and pepper to taste. If it is too dry, add more Miracle Whip.

Notes

  • I don't like my potato salad really saucy, but you can add as much sauce as you like.
  • Make sure you salt the water you cook the potatoes in. It makes a huge difference in their flavor.
  • I like Miracle Whip because not only does it have a more zippy flavor, but it has less fat than mayo. But mayo will also work. If you use mayo, I think it tastes better if you add a little sugar to the sauce.
  • You really can't mess up this recipe, just adapt it to whatever your family likes!

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 154kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 4gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 434mgPotassium: 672mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 126IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 1mg
Keyword potato salad
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Filed Under: 4th of July, Recipe Index, Salads Tagged With: eggs, pickles, potatoes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. becky roberts

    March 16, 2020 at 2:41 pm

    I make a similar one, when i use mayo, i add a couple of tbsp sour cream and 1 tbsp white vinegar. I play with recipes. Sound great!

    Reply
  2. Virginia

    November 5, 2019 at 6:12 pm

    Dry mustard, brown mustard or yellow mustard?

    Reply
    • Kara Cook

      November 6, 2019 at 9:21 am

      I used regular yellow mustard.

      Reply
  3. Janice T.Bullard

    July 31, 2019 at 9:28 am

    I Boil potatoes skin on I use dill & sweet relish& Boiled eggs mashed in a different bowl adding a sweet onion also use Mayo & Salad dressing a few other Secrets my family is very picky never forget the paprika also using Mrs.Dash Seasalt not alot a little goes along way Green olives are great but everyone doesn’t like them slice them use as a Garnish dont ever make soggy potatoes salad you add but not take away if you have to boil 3 more potatoes it will come out just fine I’m not a celery fan so Celery seasoning will do the trick I don’t measure anything just cook from the Heart peel those potatoes while Hot and slice in a Big Bowl it gives you Room to Stir everything up?♥️

    Reply
  4. Alicia

    July 3, 2010 at 9:10 am

    Great recipe! It’s somewhat similar to mine, but I love the olive idea. I always forget to salt my potatoes and it does make a huge difference.

    I make mine with half mayo and half miracle whip (light). It keeps it from tasting too heavy (and fatty) from the mayo and too sweet from the miracle whip.

    Reply
5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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Hi. I’m Kara, and I've loved cooking since I was about 10. Great food brings people together and can create some amazing memories. I hope you will use my family friendly recipes to make memories with your loved ones!
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