Julia Child's American-Style Potato Salad

Name: Julia Child's American-Style Potato Salad
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Yield: 6 cups, 4-6 serving(s)
Ingredients: 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); 1/2 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); lettuce leaf; pimiento (diced); egg (hard-boiled, sliced); tomatoes (quartered); parsley sprig

Submitted by Trnquilit

"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."

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Ready In:: 1hr 55mins
Ingredients:: 18
Yields:: 6 cups
Serves:: 4-6

ingredients

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)
¹⁄₂ 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)
tomatoes (quartered)
parsley sprig

directions

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.
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.
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.
Cover & refrigerate for at least an hour; if it is refrigerated longer, bring back to room temperature before serving.
To serve, line a bowl or platter with lettuce & mound salad on top. Taste again & adjust seasoning if needed. Decorate at the last moment.

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Reviews

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!

Curlee827
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.

ralstondn