Mom's Potato Salad Recipe ♥

My mother's recipe for a traditional American-style homemade potato salad -- it's the one I make again and again without needing a "recipe". While not "diet food," the recipe calls for cooked eggs and cottage cheese so the potato salad contains a good measure of protein too. Fresh herbs really brighten the flavors!

~recipe & photo updated 2011~
~first published 2006, republished 2011~
~more recently updated recipes~

2006 Original: A few weeks back, Michelle from the food blog 'Je Mange la Ville' shared her Secrets to Amazing Potato Salad (scroll down, they're near the end). It got me to wondering why I'd yet to post my mother's potato salad "recipe" here on A Veggie Venture, despite making a big batch several times a summer.

So. Without further ado, here are my Mom's tricks for a classic potato salad and now, as mothers pass important things to daughters, my own "recipe" and tips too. Always.

The potatoes are cubed, skins on, to cook more evenly and quickly.
The dressing base is equal measures of mayonnaise (for me, reduced fat Hellman's, for Mom, her ever-lovin' Miracle Whip) and low-fat cottage cheese.
The dressing includes three hard-boiled eggs plus sweet pickle relish.
Use a large wide bowl to make it easier to mix the dressing and then stir in the potatoes.
Add the potatoes to the dressing while they're still hot, so they soak up some of the liquid.

NUTRITION NOTES This isn't diet food. But because a good portion of the calories come from high-calcium cottage cheese and high-protein eggs, as potato salad goes, it's relatively low in calories and even carbs.

2011 Update: So this is "my" go-to potato salad recipe, the one I can make almost in my sleep, no need for a recipe. This year, I used the same concept but substituted low-calorie and low-carb cauliflower for potatoes, making it a good choice for dieters and diabetics -- and all who love cauliflower! See . It makes a big batch so is good for a crowd -- but keeps for a good week, too, so is great for cooking ahead for family gatherings. Plus -- I'm so pleased to know that this is the potato salad served at The Smiling Moon, the little coffeeshop and lunch cafe in my hometown in Minnesota!

MOM's POTATO SALAD

Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Makes 6 cups

POTATOES
Salted water to cover
2 pounds new potatoes, skins on, in small cubes

EGGS
3 eggs, hard-boiled (see Perfect Hard-Cooked Eggs), diced small

DRESSING
3/4 cup low-fat Hellman's mayonnaise
3/4 cup 1% cottage cheese (see Notes)
1 generous tablespoon good mustard
2 generous tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1/2 a large sweet onion or yellow onion, chopped very fine (about 1 cup)
3 ribs celery, chopped very fine
Fresh dill or other fresh herbs, optional but wonderful
Salt & pepper to taste

POTATOES & EGGS Start the water to boil. Add the potatoes as they're prepped and cook, covered, until they're done. Hard-boil the eggs.

DRESSING Stir together the dressing ingredients. Stir in the hot potatoes and eggs. Taste and adjust seasonings.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
In St Louis, I adore Pevely 1% cottage cheese and the Dierberg's store-brand 1% cottage cheese which I'm quite sure is made by Pevely.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Half Cup: 144 Calories; 6 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 17 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; NetCarb15; 32 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 254 mg Sodium; 62 mg Cholesterol; 5 g Protein; Weight Watchers Old Points 3, Points Plus 4

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MORE FAVORITE POTATO SALAD RECIPES
~ Warm German Potato Salad ~
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~ Southwestern Potato Salad ~
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~ Sweet Potato Salad with Roasted Poblano, Roasted Corn & Chipotle ~
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