How To Make Potato Salad

My friend brought my faux paus to my attention; I did not post the recipe for Potato Salad in my previous post. I didn't think about it at the time, because I have never made potato salad from a recipe. Now I really know that I am my Grandmother's granddaughter, because she never made salad with a recipe either. She may have started out with one, but it snowballed quickly! Plus, I have a confession to make! I have only started making decent Potato Salad in recent years (quite frankly, it scared me). It was only after my Mother in law (who IS the reigning Queen of Potato Salad) literally walk me through the process step by step that I was willing to claim my own creations. After much brain racking I have pinpointed down the ingredients. So, here is my official written recipe for Potato Salad:

Potato Salad

(this recipe will make enough for a moderate size gathering)
4 large potatoes, cooked
6 - 8 large eggs, boiled and peeled
1 medium onion, chopped fine
3 - 4 large pickles (to make 3/4 cup)
2 cups mayonnaise (more or less)
3 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 - 3 tablespoons pickle juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
paprika

Cube potatoes in medium size pieces and place in a large bowl. Chop eggs and pickles; add to potatoes. Mince onion and add to bowl. Add in mayonnaise, pickle juice, mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir ingredients together until well combined. Sprinkle paprika over the top of the salad. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Helpful tips:

• Start out with a larger bowl than you think you will need. Potato salad increases in size rapidly. A large bowl also makes stirring ingredients together easier.
• Boil the potatoes whole with the skins on for 20 -25 minutes until tender. Let them cool until you can handle them comfortably, then peel the potatoes. The skins will slip right off.
• Boil potatoes and eggs the day before you make the salad. Refrigerate overnight. It makes them easier to cut up.
• If you have a food processor use it to chop the onions, pickles, and eggs. Just pulse until the desired size is reached. Chop the eggs last in the processor; they are the messiest.
  
• Leftover baked potatoes are great for making potato salad.
• The more boiled eggs in potato salad the better. The cooked yolks help give the salad it's texture (Grandma said: the rule of thumb is 1 1/2 eggs for every potato used in your salad).
• Potato salad is forgiving. You can add more or less of any ingredient to suit your tastes.
• Potatoes absorb the mayo as it sits. If your salad looks dry (like there is not enough sauce to coat the potatoes well) add more mayo. It's better to have to much than not enough; in this case.
  
• Potato salad is best if it has time to chill (and the flavors blend). At least two or three hours. Overnight is the best.
• If you are going to serve your salad outside in hot weather. Bring a bowl larger than the salad bowl with you. Fill it half way with crushed ice, and place the salad bowl on top of the ice (replenish ice as necessary). It will keep the salad cold (nobody like food poisoning).