Posted by Naturally my recipe for potato salad has a story. One year while I was in charge of the girls at church, ages 12-18, we had our annual “Girl’s Camp” at a place in California called “Camp Buckhorn”.
It was a fun camp in the beautiful Angeles National Forest and the food was really good! We didn’t expect such fine fare since we were “roughing it” (in cabins). One evening, they served us the best potato salad I’ve ever had! It was slightly sweet, creamy and flavorful. Naturally, I asked for the recipe and the head cook shared the simple ingredients, but not the actual quantities. Since they make it for such large crowds and don’t measure anything, she really couldn’t tell me anyway.
I think my version of the original is pretty close. I’ve updated it with fresh parsley and created a dill pickle option for those of you who don’t like sweet potato salad. I hope you enjoy this recipe, inspired by the hard-working staff at Camp Buckhorn, as much as we do!
Potato Salad
- 5 medium russet potatoes
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 1 T sugar
- 1 T cider vinegar
- 2 T sweet pickle relish (or chopped sweet pickles)
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1 cup white onion, chopped
- 2 T fresh parsley, more for garnish (optional)
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, 2 chopped & 1 sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Put whole, unpeeled potatoes in a pan of water and bring to a boil. Continue to cook until fork tender (but not too long or they’ll turn to mush). Remove from heat and place potatoes in cold water; set aside to cool. Mix mayonnaise, mustard, sugar and vinegar; set aside. Once cooled, peel potatoes and chop into 1/2″ pieces; place in large bowl. Add relish, celery, onion and the two chopped eggs. Fold in the mayonnaise mixture. Add salt and pepper and adjust to taste. Place the third sliced egg and a sprig of parsley on top of the potato salad; sprinkle with paprika, chill and serve!
Dill variation: substitute dill pickle relish (or chopped dill pickles) for the sweet and omit the sugar. You can also use dill pickle juice instead of the vinegar if you want!
Root Notes
-I’ve tried this recipe with yukon gold potatoes and it was not as good. I recommend sticking with russet.
-Camp Buckhorn says it has to be Best Foods mayonnaise! Since I try to avoid mayo made with unhealthy oils, I make my own using this mayonnaise recipe. It’s not quite as solid, but the health benefits are worth it to me!
-My sister doesn’t like potato salad to be sweet so the dill variation is dedicated to and tested by her with a thumbs up!
-Feel free to add more relish or pickles to your preference!
Family ~ Food ~ Roots 