Cowboy Jeffie's Picnic Pardner Potato Salad

With the arrival of summer comes many requests for me to contribute my potato salad to summer potlucks and picnics. I thought I would once again share my recipe for Cowboy Jeffie's Picnic Pardner Potato Salad.

(Yep, that's me - Cowboy Jeffie - in the photo)

As a kid, I always enjoyed visiting with my grandma in her kitchen as she made the potato salad for a family BBQ. (We'd often gather in their Medford, Oregon backyard, in the shade of the big old trees, to celebrate the Fourth of July and other summer events.) There was something magical watching her slice, dice and mix all the elements of her salad without the benefit of measuring the required ingredients - or even looking at a cookbook or one of her hand-written recipe cards. Over the years I've made the spud salad so many times the recipe is stored in my brain. However, a few years ago I took the time to measure all of the ingredients and write it down to share with others.

Cowboy Jeffie's Picnic Pardner Potato Salad
(serves 8-10 people)

10 red potatoes (boiled 30-40 minutes - or until a fork/knife can poke easily - and cut into bite-sized pieces)
6-7 eggs (hard boiled, sliced and diced)
1 medium onion (diced finely)
3 stalks celery (sliced thinly)
3-4 sweet or dill pickles (optional - diced finely)
Sliced black olives (optional - sometimes added for a little variety)

I usually boil the potatoes and eggs in the same pan and take the eggs out after 20 minutes. The eggs are immediately put into a ice water bath to cool. I continue boiling the potatoes until they are tender and also cool them in an ice water bath before cutting into small bite-sized pieces (leaving the skin on). All ingredients are mixed together in large bowl before adding the dressing

Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons gourmet mustard (I use Grey Poupon or Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 tablespoon pickle juice
3-4 tablespoons cider vinegar

Mix all dressing ingredients together well and pour over salad fixings. Mix well and store in fridge prior to serving. It's always best if allowed to sit in fridge for at least a couple hours. Mix well again before actually serving. You may want to add additional salt/pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Check out other Cowboy Jeffie recipes.

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