Traditional & Gumbo Potato Salad
Servings 10 people
Equipment
- chef knife
- cutting board
- measuring cups and spoons
- potato peeler(optional)
- colander
- large mixing bowl
- large pot for cooking the potatoes
- whisk
- rubber spatula
- storage container with a tight-fitting lid
Ingredients
Cajun Potato Salad for Gumbo
- 4 lbs potatoes, peeled, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 4 stalks celery, small dice
- ½ medium onion, minced (white or yellow)
- 1 bunch scallion, thinly sliced (white and green parts, roots removed)
- ½ cup mayonnaise-good quality like Dukes/Blue Plate or homemade
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 3 tbsp mustard, creole, or Pommeray/country/whole grain style
- 2 tbsp parsley, cleaned and chopped fine
- 1 tbsp vinegar, red wine
- 2 tsp garlic, peeled and finely minced
- 1½ tsp paprika, sweet
- 2 tsp salt, kosher
- 1 tsp pepper, black
Traditional Potato Salad for Everything Else
- 3 tbsp cornichons, chopped fine or pickle relish
- 1 whole egg boiled, diced
- 1 4oz jar pimento, diced and drained
Salted Water for Boiling the Potatoes
- 1½ gallons of water
- 2 tbsp salt, kosher
Instructions
Prepare the Dressing Base
- First, start by measuring and preparing the Traditional Potato Salad dressing base. Next, add the wet ingredients to the bowl and stir to combine thoroughly.
- Core, peel (if needed) the vegetables and parsley. Add the chopped vegetables and herbs to the prepared potato salad dressing and combine. Test the seasoning. Reserve
Prepare the Potatoes
- Prepare a medium to a large mixing bowl with cold water. Reserve
- (Optional) Peel the potatoes and check for blemishes under the skins. Cut those out with a small knife if you find any dark patches. Place the peeled potatoes into the reserved water bowl, keeping the potatoes from oxidizing and turning grey.
- After the potatoes are prepared, heat a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil.
- While the water is heating, take each potato and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Then, place the bite-sized potato pieces back into the water bowl.
Cooking the Potatoes
- Set up a colander in the sink to drain the cooked potatoes. Reserve
- To cook the potatoes, drain them in a colander and add to the pot of boiling water. (If you are afraid of splashing the water, lower them in with a kitchen spoon or spider sieve.)
- Boil the potatoes for approximately 15-20 minutes or until done. Since each variety of potato cooks slightly different times, pull one of the potato pieces out. (Test the potato when a fork can easily slide into the potato without breaking it apart.)
- Drain the potatoes in the reserved colander. Then, gently rinse, under low pressure, the cooked potatoes with cold water to stop the cooking process.
Putting the Potato Salad Together
- Finally, add the cooled cooked potatoes to the prepared bowl of dressing. Use a rubber spatula and gently fold in the potatoes. The potato salad can be used right away or stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.