Layne Family Potato Salad
Just wanted to start off by saying sorry for the lateness of this post – it is Memorial Day Weekend afterall so I’m sure you’ve already got your sides planned for your BBQ or perhaps this truly is a more somber day for more than a few of you. Whichever way you decide to spend this weekend, just give a moment of thought & silence to those who make this weekend worth celebrating & remembering their lives.
Memorial Day has always been more of a “day off” for me than anything else. I’ve had quite a few beloved Veterans in my life, I will say I am blessed to not know any close to my life who have died in battle. So, this day is usually just a day of being off work & putting off reality for another day.
family favorite.
My mother’s potato salad is a true Southern-ism passed down from Mamaw – this recipe has NEVER been written down *eyerollllll* and it’s true nature is based solely on the taste-tester.
Both my Papaw Layne & my daddy, Bob, are veterans. Korean War & Desert Storm, respectively. My mom makes this potato salad year-round and she said the taste has changed slightly because when she was growing up, Papaw Layne was the taste-tester & now that responsibility has been passed onto my Dad.
I made this potato salad a few weeks ago at the end of April. We experienced a blissful weekend of breezy, blue-skied weather. Chris was out of town watching the draft & golfing with his buddies. I was home watching Disney movies, blog-writing & concocting new things for us to try together when he got home! It was a beautiful weekend.
making it my own.
I thought I would try to surprise him with trying my hand with Judy’s Potato Salad since I have never made it on my own before – just eaten it in ABUDNACE over the years. Whenever we literally have ANY sort of get-together, Chris always requests that Judy make her infamous potato salad. It is a welcome bowl at any gathering! We had our Memorial Day backyard cookout yesterday & it was very much in attendance & loved by all.
My dad has shared with me that he likes the potato salad on the softer side (boil the hell out of the potatoes, he means) creamier (more mayo) and a little sweeter (more pickle relish) – I don’t know how my Mamaw made it for Papaw’s taste buds, but I definitely have no qualms about how my dad enjoys his taste of this potato salad.
Ingredients
· 3 LB baby yellow potatoes – scrubbed clean, cut smaller & cooked until fork TENDERRR.
· ¾ cup Duke’s Light Mayo ((I think you know EXACTLY how I feel about this is by now))
· ¼ cup Whole Grain Mustard
· 1/3 cup Sweet Relish
· 4 TBS Dill Pickle Juice
· ¼ cup smooth Dijon Mustard
· 1 heaping TBS Horseradish
· ¼ cup Fresh Dill, finely chopped
· 1 TSP Salt
· 1 TSP Black Pepper
· ½ TSP Ground Coriander
· ½ TSP Ground Mustard
· ½ TSP Cumin
· 3 boiled eggs, chopped finely
· 10 green onions, chopped finely – NO WHITES
· 5 ribs of celery – sliced & diced finely ((I like to use the tender, light green ribs found on the inner part of a celery bundle))
· Celery leaves (totally optional) for garnish
· ½ TSP Smoked Paprika, for garnish
((I highlighted the fresh dill & the Cumin because these are MY additions to Judy’s Potato Salad))
Instructions, 1
Boil your eggs to a hard boil – 12 minute boil. Cool immediately in cold water with ice for at least 15 minutes & peel – leave whole & set aside in the fridge.
Scrub clean, cut & cook your baby potatoes to your liking – my mom always boils her potatoes but that just seems to take so longggggg – depending on how small you cut your potatoes (I did mine in fourths) they will cook faster.
I microwaved my potatoes for about 15 - 18 minutes covered with ½ inch of water & topped with plastic wrap to help steam them.
Definitely microwave the time in batches — 5 minutes, stir, 5 minutes, stir — you get the drift.
While your potatoes are cooking / cooling – get together all the wet ingredients into a large bowl & mix together.
I personally like my potato salad very cold – one easy way to ensure this potato salad & the dressing stays cold is to mix all the dressing ingredients together and put the bowl in the fridge while you are cutting the celery, green onions & dill.
Lucky for you, I try to provide detailed pictures – the star of this family legend is clearly the potatoes, so I don’t like big hunks of celery gumming up the works. I usually slice my celery pieces down the middle before dicing, just to give a smaller, more appealing bite.
Green Onions are easily finely diced, as is the dill.
The Celery leaves have such a beautiful, springy, delicate flavor & are great to mix in with the other ingredients or sprinkle on at the last minute for garnish before serving – totally your choice.
Pull your dressing bowl out of the fridge & gently fold in the herbs, celery & spices – I prefer to put all the dry spices in at this stage so they aren’t stagnant while sitting in the fridge. Maybe I’m a weirdo – who knows, just my thoughts & my process.
Your eggs should be cold & ready for cutting – there’s no science to this at all, they might be a little smooshed, but that’s part of the charm. Fold them in at the last second.
Dump your cooked & fork tender potatoes right overtop of all the dressing – stir well with a spatula to combine.
Instructions, 2
The potatoes may smash & crumble a bit – this also adds to the charm. The starchiness from the potatoes will help ensure that the dressing sticks to everything & everyone. *chefs kiss*
Give your potato salad a taste! If you want a little extra sweetness, throw in another dollop of sweet pickle relish. Looking for more zing? – add in another TBS of Horseradish.
That is the true beauty of this potato salad recipe, the ingredients all work SO well together and little tweaks or extras can alter the taste slightly to make it however is your favorite!
The one thing I refuse to backdown on is the over-abundance of mayo. ICK. Mayo is not a science, but an art. Too much is gross. Too little is dry. The mustard helps stretch the creaminess of the mayo whilst lending that tang that only Dijon can give.
Salt & Pepper are definitely a necessity to everyone’s palate. That’s why tasting is so damn important! Remember that salt can make your potato salad a little watery, so don’t be afraid to allow people to salt their own potato salad while they pile it on their own plate!
Once you are satisfied with the taste, consistency & look of your potato salad – fold in the boiled eggs – this will add an extra element of surprise as well! Some people call this Deviled Potato Salad – whatever, I just like what I like.
Cover in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve – a good 3-4 hour waiting period is perfect in my opinion. This potato salad can definitely be served right away!
Sprinkle Paprika & chopped celery leaves overtop right before serving if that is what you are choosing to do. Enjoy & watch it disappear!
Judy’s Potato Salad
While I realize I named this entry Layne Family Potato Salad, this still feels like Judy’s recipe because she’s the only one who has shared the ingredients with me & made it repeatedly over the years. This family recipe is super special to me because both my mom & Mamaw are still living, but I feel a very proud bond of making this potato salad my own with 2 extra tweaks – it still tastes VERY much of my childhood, beloved by my husband who has ONLY enjoyed Judy’s version up until now – and I dare say this potato salad isn’t your run-of-the-mill potato salad that is chunky, glossy & full of calories. It is light, creamy, oh so tasty, & full of surprise ingredients & will have you coming back for more and be requested for EVERY family gathering! I’m so happy that I’ve been able to replicate this generational potato salad while giving it a little extra love that it deserves with my own ideas of Southern-isms. From the bottom of my heart, hope y’all enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by!
I appreciate you stopping by! If you loved it, I’d love to hear from you.
If you hated it, then same.
Have a great day & look for my next entry!
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