Secret Ingredient Potato Salad – This recipe is a family favorite, and is always popular at potlucks!
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.
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. 😉
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
Best ever potato salad with eggs, green onions, celery, and pickles.
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
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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!
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Dry mustard, brown mustard or yellow mustard?
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I used regular yellow mustard.
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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?♥️
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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.
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