Simply the Best Potato Salad, Ever!

Submitted by Tantric1

"This was the potato salad my mom made. I have noticed through the years that this recipe is a HUGE hit, even with those that "don't like" potato salad. It isn't a fast process to make, BUT... it apparently is worth the time and effort because it is inhaled by anyone that tastes it. Patience is the key to this recipe."

 

• Ready In: 10hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Yields: 15-20 cups
• Serves: 12-15

ingredients

• 5 lbs russet potatoes, peeled, and cut into large bite size
• 7 hard-boiled eggs (large or extra large)
• 2 bunches green onions (green part only)
• 12 ounces radishes
• 5 stalks celery
• 1 -2 lb bacon
• 2 cups mayonnaise (cold)
• ground black pepper

directions

1. Peel and cut potatoes into large bite size pieces. Boil potatoes with a bit of salt. You want to cook the potatoes so that when poked with a fork, the break in half easily, but a NOT mushy. You don't want to over cook the poatoes because they need to have some structure to handle being tossed around (with other ingredients), and not dissolve. Lean toward under cooking rather than OVER cooking them. My guess is about 7 minutes after the water begins to boil. Drain, VERY well, and let them cool off a bit at room temperature. Then refrigerate potatoes until very cold 4-6 hours, or even over night.
2. Hard boil eggs, as you are boiling potatoes. The eggs should be refrigerated for the same time that potatoes are, so that they too are really cold.
3. While potatoes an eggs are chilling, cook bacon. The bacon need to be cooked until quite crisp. No flacid bacon! Drain on paper towel, and let cool to room temperature. It depends on what I am feeling like, sometimes I cook 2lbs of bacon -- I like a lot of bacon in it.
4. Begin to wash the green onions, radishes, and celery. After cleaned allow to dry a bit on a towel. Keeping extra moisture out the mix is important.
5. Cut off white part of onions and only use the green part. Chop in pieces about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, place in LARGE mixing bowl. Cut ends off radishes, and then proceed to chop into even pieces (you can use a food processor for this part). When finished with the radishes, you can place the bacon in the food processor and chop it up. I prefer to use "pulse", I don't want it minced.
6. Cut the ends off celery, and take remaining stalk and cut lengthwise in half, or quarters, depending how wide it is. Then chop in 1/4 to 1//2 inch pieces. Do not use the food processor for celery, it makes it mushy and too much water is released from the celery.
7. Add chopped radishes, bacon and celery to the bowl with the green onions.
8. Mix thoroughly.
9. Peel eggs, and chop (can use food processor on pulse", and add chopped egg to bowl with vegetables and bacon.
10. Begin to add mayo by large spoonfuls. Mix each one into the vegetable mix. Also start to add ground black pepper to taste.
11. Continue to add mayo, until all vegetables are sufficiently covered, and then add more mayo. You are going to begin to add in the potatoes, and they will absorb a LOT of mayo. Add enough mayo to make certain that all of the ingredients are covered in mayo.
12. Cover bowl(s) and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours. This allows all of of the vegetables and mayo to combine flavors.
13. Keep refrigerated.