Hart family potato salad

Don't freeze this!

It's Memorial Day weekend here in the U.S., so I figured I would share one of my favorite summertime recipes: potato salad. This is NOT a freezer recipe, but I have adjusted it over the years, and I’m happy to have it at a point where I can make it the same every time. Potato salad is one of those things that people have lots of opinions on.

I didn’t grow up eating potato salad or macaroni salad; the idea of mayo-based salads was not at all of interest to me. But then, when I was in college, I had Trader Joe’s Old Fashioned potato salad when I was visiting California. (Apparently, it was regional at the time, and we didn’t have that many TJ’s back where I lived in New York.) But I always remembered the flavor and, over the years, have tried to recreate it. This is what I get asked to bring to every BBQ or potluck all summer long.

Sarah Hart’s Potato Salad

• 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 cup mayonnaise (I used a mix of Hellmann’s and Kewpie)

• 1⁄4 cup sour cream

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (or half and half Dijon and yellow mustard)

• 4 large boiled eggs (I cook mine for 8 minutes)

• 1⁄2 cup diced celery

• 1⁄4 cup finely diced sweet onion

• 1⁄4 cup chopped scallions (the green parts)

• 3 cloves of finely diced garlic

• 1⁄4 cup diced dill pickles

• 1⁄4 cup pickle relish

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives (optional)

This potato salad takes at least two days to prepare. First, boil the Yukon Gold potatoes whole with the skin on in heavily salted water. When they are fork tender, drain them and set them aside to cool slightly, just enough to be able to handle them.

Peel the cooked potatoes while they are still warm. Cut them into bite-sized pieces and add them to a ziplock bag or container with three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Let the potatoes cool overnight in the fridge, marinating with the vinegar. This gives the potatoes flavor all the way through.

The next day it’s time to assemble the potato salad. Prepare all the mix-in ingredients. For the boiled eggs, I like to cook them for 8 minutes so the egg yolks are still jammy.

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Chop the egg whites and set them aside. Put the egg yolks in a bowl; we’re going to use them in the dressing.

Using a fork, mash the egg yolks, then add the mayonnaise, mustard, and sour cream. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. (Remember, the potatoes already have vinegar, so we don’t need to add it to the dressing.)

In a large bowl, add the marinated potatoes and any liquid from the container. Add all your mix-ins and mix together well. Then add the dressing and mix again. Let the potato salad sit in the fridge for a few more hours, up to overnight. Taste again before serving to see if it needs more salt or if you need to adjust any of the other seasonings.