Julia Child's American-Style Potato Salad

Trnquilit's Note:

This is one of my favorite potato salads! I make this for parties all the time & get asked for the recipe. I have quite a few friends that claim to not like potato salad or anything with mayonnaise but they gobble this up.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 55 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4-6

Yield: 6.0 cups

• 2 lbs yukon gold potatoes (or other waxy boiling potatoes)
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1⁄3; cup chicken stock or 1⁄3; cup potato water
• 2⁄3; cup onion (finely chopped)
• ½ cup celery (finely chopped)
• 3 -4 slices bacon (crisply cooked, chopped or crumbled)
• 2 -3 tablespoons dill pickle relish or 2 -3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• 2 eggs (hard-boiled, peeled & sliced thin)
• 3 tablespoons chives (finely chopped) or 3 tablespoons scallions (finely chopped)
• salt
• white pepper (freshly ground if avail.)
• 1 cup mayonnaise (homemade if possible)
• sour cream (optional)

Optional Garnishing

• lettuce leaf
• pimiento (diced)
• egg (hard-boiled, sliced)
• tomato (quartered)
• parsley sprig

Directions:

1. Slice potatoes lengthwise in 1/2 or in quarters if very large; cut crosswise into 1/2 round or 1/4 round slices, about 1/2" thick. Put in a saucepan with just enough water to cover & 1 1/2 t of salt per quart of water. Heat to a simmer & cook for 5 - 6 min until just cooked through. (It is essential that they be cooked through!). Remove from heat & drain, reserving 1 c of the cooking liquid for later use.
2. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl; stir together the cider vinegar with 1/3 c of the potato water or chicken stock & drizzle over potatoes, turning them gently to distribute it evenly. Let sit 10 min to absorb the liquid.
3. Add the onion, celery, bacon, pickle, hard-boiled eggs & chives; season to taste. Top with 2/3 c of mayonnaise (or a mix of mayonnaise & sour cream) & gently fold everything together. Taste & add more salt, pepper or mayonnaise as needed.
4. Cover & refrigerate for at least an hour; if it is refrigerated longer, bring back to room temperature before serving.
5. To serve, line a bowl or platter with lettuce & mound salad on top. Taste again & adjust seasoning if needed. Decorate at the last moment.

Reviews

[Curlee827]

I've been using this technique for making potato salad for years, ever since my sister gave me this recipe. I generally use red potatos (I like my potato salad firmer) and I omit the bacon and boiled eggs (due to picky eaters). I use 1/2 mayo, 1/2 sour cream and mix with a little pickle juice to make creamy before adding it to the potatoes. This is requested at bbqs often! Thanks for posting!

[Chef #1395563]

So good! I used Paula Deen's recipe for mayonnaise and added some dill pickle juice, but followed the recipe otherwise. I will definitely be making this again soon.