My mom is in a nursing home now and no longer cooks for herself, but growing up she made the best mustard potato salad. I remember it being one of the first things she taught me how to make, because I begged her to show me how. I’m so glad I did, because it has become a staple in our house.
Matt absolutely despises mustard, but he loves my mom’s potato salad recipe, even though he knows it has mustard in it. He is constantly asking me to make it for him and get’s really excited when I do. I think it’s because my mom’s recipe has just the right ratio of mustard and mayo, so that neither flavor dominates. That’s part of the secret to why it’s so good.
Her recipe is a classic one utilizing mustard, mayo, hard-boiled eggs, relish and dill. Dill is definitely the other star in this dish. My mom’s original recipe included green pimento olives, but since that is Matt’s other hated food (and that one is non negotiable), I leave those out now. It’s still good without them and I have gotten so used to making it that way that I hardly even notice them missing anymore.
I remember her teaching me to pay attention to the tenderness of the potatoes, by watching them closely as they boil and testing them often. You don’t want them to overcook and turn to mush, but you want the potato to fall apart easily when pressed with a fork.
Made with fresh from the garden potatoes and farm fresh eggs, my version of my mom’s potato salad has continued to be a dish that, no matter how much I make, quickly disappears at barbeques!
- 10-12 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped (if using homegrown/yukon gold potatoes, the skin is so thin, I leave on)
- 8 hard-boiled eggs, chopped (I'll be posting soon about how to get farm fresh eggs to hard boil and still peel easily so be on the lookout!)
- 1½ cups mayo or Veganaise (I personally prefer Veganaise, it has a nice, light and lemony flavor)
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 3 tablespoons of relish (dill or sweet)
- 1 teaspoon dill
- ¼ cup finely chopped onions (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- Boil potatoes until tender. Watch closely and test often. You want the potatoes to fall apart easily when pressed with a fork, but not be too mushy. Also, fresh from the garden potatoes contain more water, so will cook more quickly than older drier store-bought potatoes.
- Drain and cool.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, mix the mayo, mustard, relish dill and salt and pepper. I also make this to taste. If it is not mustardy enough, add another tablespoon!
- Add cooled potatoes to mustard mix and stir. Fold in chopped hard-boiled eggs. Top with more dill. Chill and serve!
Perfect timing! We have potatoes coming out of our ears and I love your salad.
Oh wow! This looks incredible! I’m definitely coming back here next time I need something for a family get-together or for a school function. Yum!
This looks delicious but what is the recipe? The print button didn’t print out the recipe ingredients or directions.
For some reason the recipe wasn’t showing, but I fixed it, so it’s back. 🙂
Thanks for your interest and for letting me know!