Yesterday I had a quick conversation with a fella in the grocery store checkout lane. He apologized to me because the checker was having someone run over to the deli area and get him a new container of potato salad as his had broken open.
I said no need to apologize, I wasn’t in a hurry. He then told me that he didn’t even really like the deli potato salad, it wasn’t like what his grandmother made, but it’s just too hard to make it yourself.
While I didn’t stage a Grocery Cart Ambush Makeover, I did tell him I understand the allure of convenience foods. I said with a laugh that I try not to eat anything I can’t pronounce. Here are the ingredients in the tub of potato salad at the grocery store:
Red Skin Potatoes, Mayonnaise (Soybean Oil, Water, Egg Yolk, Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Spices, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Calcium Disodium Edta (Protect Quality)), Sour Cream (Cultured Cream, Skim Milk, Modified Food Starch, Whey Powder, Guar Gum, Locust Bean Gum, Sodium Citrate, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Carrageenan), Celery , Water, Onion, Contains 2% Or Less of Seasoning (Maltodextrin, Salt, Cultured Buttermilk, Monosodium Glutamate, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Modified Food Starch, Spices, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Less Than 2% of Artificial Flavor, Lactic Acid), Salt, Dill, Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate (Preservatives).
While I do succumb to the convenience of store bought foods occasionally, I think I’ll skip the potato salad and make my own. I don’t know about you, but I’m gonna pass on the HFCS, whey powder and MSG in my potato salad. And hopefully many of those other ingredients that I have no idea what are. Plus I don’t think it’s that hard to make your own. Here’s my Super Simple version…
Super Simple Potato Salad (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan option)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds potatoes , boiled or baked, cut into cubes prior to cooking (I leave the peel on mine)
- 1/3 cup diced red onion
- 1/3 cup diced celery , about two large stalks
- 1/3 cup pickle relish (I use homemade, read the label carefully on storebought)
- 2/3 cup vegan mayo ( like THIS homemade version from Vegan Epicurean best)
- 1 T . fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 T . dijon mustard
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- Optional--3 hard boiled eggs , diced
Instructions
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Boil or bake two pounds of potatoes. I used two colors of baby potatoes in the batch shown in the photos, red and yellow. I leave the peels on, but you could peel the potatoes if you prefer.
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To bake: heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread potatoes in single layer on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray lightly with olive oil, coconut oil or other oil of your choice. Toss to coat. Bake until fork tender, but not too soft, generally 20-25 minutes depending on the size of the cubes.
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To boil: add cubed potatoes to a large pan or Dutch oven. Cover with cold water. Place on burner, bring water up to boil over high heat then reduce heat to keep the water at a gentle boil. Generally it takes about 15 minutes at boiling for potatoes to be fork tender. Drain once tender.
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In large bowl, add the cubed potatoes, celery and onion.
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On top of that, add the remaining ingredients except the hard boiled eggs.
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Mix well. If you are adding the eggs, add them now. Stir just to combine, otherwise the eggs end up completely blended in.
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Keep refrigerated until serving. Enjoy!
Too bad you didn’t have the recipe on hand to give him. Potato salad seems like a silly dish to be too intimidated to make. You don’t have to find strange ingredients (and you can usually add ingredients to your taste), and the main work is cutting the potatoes. Yours looks like a good mix!
While the grocery store wouldn’t much like me, I would enjoy handing out easy and healthier recipes near their processed counterparts in the grocery store. I agree, Molly, and thinks sometimes folks have forgotten how easy it can be to prepare their own food.
Do you cut the potatoes before boiling, or will this leave them prone to falling apart?
If baked, what temp and time please?
Signed, Needing to know for the holidays 2016.
I cube my potatoes prior to baking or boiling.
If you’d like to bake the potatoes instead of boiling, 350 until fork tender. There are more detailed instructions in the recipe for baking.
Best of luck with your holiday baking and cooking. Now you’ve got me wanting to add potato salad to our menu! 🙂
It’s delicious !
I’m glad you like it!
This dish was a big hit for our Fourth of July dinner! I’ve had several requests to make it again. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Yay! It makes me happy to hear that. Thank you!