Aaron McCargo Jr's Classic Potato Salad

After working in a deli, scooping potato and pasta salad out of plastic tubs during my college years, I really like the idea of making my very own potato salad with fresh ingredients. Hey, those deli salads are okay...but this is so much better! I actually made a few salads to serve over the weekend and this potato salad turned out to be my favorite. We grilled out both Friday and Saturday night, so on the second night, I just pulled out the leftover salads and served them with a different main dish and dessert (Banana Pound Cake and ice cream the first night, Peachy Chiffon...coming soon...the second night).

I found this recipe from Aaron McCargo Jr. in a recent issue of Food Network magazine. I seem to remember that he was dueling with Paula Deen for best potato salad. Hers was more vinegar-based. I have made the "German" variety of potato salad before. This time I was shooting for the creamy, traditional version, so Aaron's potato salad caught my interest. Ha! I say his name like I know him. Aaron. In reality, when I stumbled across this recipe I'd never even heard of him. Confession #1: I don't watch that much Food Network or other cooking programming for that matter. If I'm watching television it's one of the t.v. dramas that I'm already hooked on, the news, or a brain sucking reality show like The Bachelor. Reality t.v. is a sad little guilty pleasure for me. Think what you want, but that's the point...I don't have to think much when I watch it AND I can judge those people and laugh at them. Horrible, I know. It's how my little mean streak manifests itself. Otherwise, I'm a very sweet person (most of the time). Confession #2 (and a tip for my fellow penny pinchers): I don't actually subscribe to Food Network magazine. I pick up cookbooks and the current issues of my favorite food magazines at my local library. I check out the cookbooks and then I let my kids play in the kiddie section while I peruse Food Network Magazine, Taste of Home, Cooking Light, and others. I keep my notebook handy and when I see a recipe I like, I write it down and then look it up online when I get home and print it out. That is just how I obtained this delicious potato salad recipe.

Here's what you need for the dressing: sweet relish, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, mayonnaise (Hellmann's is my fave), and salt and pepper.



Stir together the dressing ingredients with 1/2 cup each of diced onion and celery.



Add in 1-1/4 pound of cooked Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes, 3 chopped hard boiled eggs, and green onions.



Stir it up and chill until serving. Pretty darn easy. I don't know why I don't make my own potato salad more often. So worth it!




Classic Potato Salad

Recipe courtesy Aaron McCargo, Jr. for Food Network Magazine
Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 27 min Level: Easy Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

3 large Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 large eggs
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
2 tablespoons sweet relish
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and spread out on a sheet pan to cool. Meanwhile, bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Carefully add the eggs; cook for 12 minutes, then remove to a bowl of ice water to cool completely. Peel the eggs under cold running water, then roughly chop.

In a large bowl, combine the onion, celery, relish, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and the mayonnaise. Fold in the potatoes, eggs and scallions. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

For a printable copy of this recipe, just click here!