Classic Southern Potato Salad W/Video

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This classic soul food potato salad with mustard and eggs is the best you'll ever have. It's a creamy, old fashioned southern recipe that will be perfect for your next, bbq, cookout, potluck or family reunion! See why below! 

Soul Food Potato Salad 

Soul food potato salad is a southern potato dish black people take very, very seriously. It's so serious that there's even a movie about it! Southern potato should be full of flavor, not dry or soupy. The potatoes shouldn't be too huge or too small.  Using the right type of potato and cooking it just right is important too. 

If this is your first time making a potato salad then you're in for a treat. I will show you how I make mine taste wonderful and seasoned to perfection. I'll also provide you with some great tips and tricks, so you can ace this recipe. 

 Southern Potato Salad ingredients

• Potatoes - Always Yukon Gold potatoes. They have a creamy texture and are pretty good at holding their shape. If you only have Russet feel free to use them. Be careful since they don't hold their shape too well. To be on the safe side, you can probably cut Russets a big bigger then boil. You can always cut them smaller later. I used 4 large potatoes or 2 lbs.
  
  
• Chicken base - This southern potato salad is kicked up a notch thanks to the chicken base. If you haven't tried seasoning potatoes with chicken base, you're missing out. Chicken base  is a great way to add extra flavor to the potatoes. If you're vegetarian, use a vegetable broth or base.  I like to use Better than Bouillon Chicken Base.
  
  
• Eggs - I love to use lots of eggs. I used about 7 eggs in this recipe. 
  
  
• Mayonnaise: For some tang and creamy factor, I like to use Dukes Mayo in my potato salad.
  
  
• Green onions-  You can't make soul food potato salad without them! Add them for flavor. Dice them finely.  
  
  
• Mustard - I ALWAYS use a good quality mustard. Potato salad MUST have some tang to it and yellow mustard does the trick. I used about 1 ½ tbsp. 
  
  
• Celery - For a mild, crisp, bright aromatic flavor, celery is a requirement. Finely dice them. If you prefer the crunch of celery, slice them thinly instead. But, if you're making this for a crowd, dice them finely. 
  
  
• Pimientos - I LOVE to use pimientos. Relish or salad cubes don't have enough of them, so I always add extra. 
  
  
• Sweet Salad cubes -  We love salad cubes because they're packed with more flavor, the chunks are larger and firmer than relish, but  you can use relish as well. 
  
  
• Juice from the salad cube jar - For extra flavor..use about 1 tbsp of sweet salad cube juice.
  
  
• Salt and black pepper for taste
  
  
• Paprika - It's usually a requirement but if you're making this for your family it's okay if you don't have any.  Making it for a crowd, you def want to add it. If you want to try it, use a good quality smoked paprika. You need to sprinkle it over the top of the finished potato salad. I forgot to add it to this recipe. Thats what happens when I'm cooking, blogging, homeschooling and doing a billion other things all at the same time....
  
  
• Sugar - Since Dukes Mayo isn't sweet, I always find myself adding in additional sugar. The sugar will help balance out the flavors. I used about ¼ tsp of sugar. 
  
  

How to make soul food potato salad

Southern potato salad is super easy to make and can be easily customized as well. This is how I love to make my potato salad. Remember to season and taste to your taste. 

• Dice the potatoes into even sizes so they cook evenly. Remember not too big and not too small.  If  after you add the dressing, you notice that the potatoes are too big, you can always cut them into smaller pieces if you like. 
  
  
• Add cold water to a pot. Add the potatoes and chicken base. Mix very well. Let the water come to a boil. Do not overcook, otherwise they will become mushy. Boil for 13-15 minutes or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork but not mushy. Remove from heat and drain. 
  
  
• Add cool water to a pot. Add the eggs. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, turn off the heat and remove the pot. Set to side in hot water for about 12 minutes. 
  
  
• Once eggs are done, cut each in half. With a spoon, scoop the egg from its shell. See video below.
  
  
• Drain the potatoes and place them into a large bowl. Let the sit a while about 15 minutes.
   
• While the potatoes are cooling off, dice the onions and celery. 
  
  
• In a bowl, add the mayonnaise, mustard, celery, green onions, salad cubes and pimientos. 
  
  
• Add the eggs and dressing to the COOLED potatoes. Carefully combine dressing and eggs with the potatoes. Add sugar, salt and pepper for taste. 
  
  
• Cover and chill in the fridge for an hour or until you're ready to serve.

Tips and tricks to make southern potato salad

• Potatoes - Always Yukon Gold potatoes are the best potatoes to use when making southern potato salad. They have a creamy texture and are pretty good at holding their shape. If you only have Russet feel free to use them. Be careful since they don't hold their shape too well. To be on the safe side, you can probably cut Russets a bit bigger then boil. You can always cut them smaller later. I used 4 large potatoes or 2 lbs.
  
  Cook potatoes Add cool water to a pot. Once the water comes to a boil. Cook for 13-15 minutes. The potatoes are done when you can until easily pierce it with a fork with the slightest resistance. If you pierce it with a fork and the potatoes break, you probably overcooked them. At this point you may want to start over and make sure you stand near the potatoes checking them often.
  
  If your potatoes did not break you should be fine but make sure you taste them.  The sample should have maintained its shape and have an al dente texture to it. Drain and set to the side to cool for 15 minutes. Do not add mayo/dressing to hot potatoes. Add the dressing when the potatoes are not wet anymore. The potatoes are ready when they have cooled off and are dry. 
  
  
• Chicken base - For very flavorful potatoes let them cook in a broth or base.  I like to use Better than Bouillon Chicken Base (not sponsored). 
  
  
• Eggs - I love to use lots of eggs. I used about 7 eggs in this recipe. Cook them in cool salted water. The salt will make peeling them a breeze. Once the water comes to a rolling boil remove from heat. Cut each egg in half. You should easily be able to scoop the egg from it's shell.Once you have removed all of the eggs from their shell chop them up. Set to the side. 
  
  
• If you're serving this to a crowd, dice the veggies up finely. 
  
  
• Pimientos -  is optional but I LOVE to use pimientos. Relish or salad cubes don't have enough of them, so I always add in some extra. 
  
  
• Salad cubes -  We love salad cubes because they're packed with more flavor, the chunks are larger and firmer than relish, but  you can use relish as well. 
  
  
• Gently combine the potatoes, eggs and dressing. Don't be too rough because you may mash them. 
  
  
• Potato salad tastes better the longer it sits, so it's best to make it up to two day in advance. 
  
  
• Paprika - To make soul food potato salad, paprika is a MUST. Use a good quality smoked paprika. For a finishing touch, sprinkle it over the top of the finished potato salad. 
  
  

If you tried this southern potato salad recipe please let me know by leaving a comment below! 

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