I love reading your posts about the relationship between food and family but it is not something I easily relate to. Food was a minor player in my family life growing up ... I do recall hating school dinners and being a very fuzzy eater. Interestingly, my brother is a real Foodie, makes and cooks his own recipes and grows a lot of what he uses in them. He is certainly creating a relationship between food and family and has grandchildren who really appreciate it.
How much do I love your grandma? "Even after my grandparents settled into a long and abundant retirement, Grandma carried with her a no-waste mentality. Nothing got thrown away. The bone from Easter ham went into split pea soup, and stale bread and pieces of the knust were turned into breadcrumbs, and stuffing. I remember Grandma using old cans to bake delicious Boston Brown Bread, and the cuttings from vegetables to make broth."
I am a German potato salad girl. Don't like mayo in my potato salad. This one looks delicious and much simpler than my favorite, which is my go-to when I have vegans come over: Ottolenghi's Pesto Potato Salad (I just leave off the egg and and parm). I also like to add edamame instead of peas.
I love your East Texas moment. We’ve all been there, right? I don’t mean literally, but rather that moment when we are introduced to some new food or recipe through our spouse (or the family into which we married). It can test our tastebuds and digestive systems, and even change our culinary beliefs.
My mom passed down a special potato salad recipe with sliced green olives -- they add a little unique zip. I am sure this came from her mother, so now it is down to my grandchildren. Is that 5 generations now?! 😶
That’s awesome! Potato salad seems like such a boring and simple thing, but it seems like everyone has their own special tweaks that are passed down. Yours sounds yummy!
Ohh i love my mom’s potato salad. Almost equal amounts of potatoes and hard boiled eggs, finely minced onion and celery — (I do use shallots now) and then a mix of equal amounts of Hellmans (never miracle whip) mayo and sour cream, brown mustard, yellow mustard, celery seeds and s & p. If I have fresh I might add some parsley. But it’s the celery seeds that make it!!
Lovely! If you could drop the recipe into a private chat that would be awesome! Or id you’ve already written about it elsewhere, kist drop the link. I think there’s just something wonderful about family potato salad traditions, don’t you?
I'm going to have to share my recipe as a restack so you get the full effect with photos. This isn't my personal recipe, but (as you allowed me in a separate conversation) one plucked from a classic local fund-raiser cookbook produced by a garden society in Honolulu. What you need to know is that Hawaii might as well have invented the "Food Truck." Given the warm weather and the traditional farming lifestyle, food trucks would bring local favorites to workers in the field. Today it's a big deal for tourists as food trucks come to beaches or have known parking lots. (On a drive around Oahu, don't miss the food trucks in Kahuku at the former sugar mill lot.)
Back to potato salad.
From food trucks, you're typically ordering "plate lunch," something like ahi poke or teriyaki beef. These are invariably served with two scoops of Japanese-style rice and Hawaii's answer to salad. Potato salad and pasta salad are typical.
In a restack I'll share the photos from the "Cosmopolitan" (aka, foreign) section of the community cookbook. Here's "Kamaboko Potato Salad" (with imitation crab) and local style pasta salad with Pepperoni. These are on facing pages of the 1986 Waipahu Plantation Village Cookbook.
The Waipahu Cultural Garden Park is located on land that was still a sugar plantation when we first moved there in 1968. I can still remember the routine burning of the sugar fields. They're online at hawaiiplantationvillage.org.
— • — •— • — •
Kamaboko Potato Salad
- 4 medium potatoes
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 1 1/2 tsp. prepared mustard
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 (10-oz.) pkg. frozen cauliflower, thawed
- 1 (10-oz.) pkg. frozen cut broccoli, thawed
- 7 oz. kamaboko, * diced (or imitation crab)
- 1/2 cup grated carrot
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
In a covered pot, boil potatoes over medium-high heat until done. Drain and cool. Peel potatoes and cut into 1" cubes. Mix next 5 ingredients together. In a large bowl, thoroughly combine potatoes, mayonnaise mixture, cauliflower, broccoli, kamaboko, carrot, and eggs. Chill at least 2 hours or overnight for better blending of flavors. Yield: 10 servings.
Love this entry. Cool whip containers absolutely rule. As for German potato salad, my grandparents liked to make a German dish fondly called “wilted lettuce”. It had greens, bacon, hot boiled and cubed potatoes, red onions and was all tossed in a bacon grease and vinegar dressing. Not exactly potato salad, but it was delicious.
That actually sounds a lot like my dad’s potato salad, which he just called “German hot potato salad”. I’d love to include your recipe and story, @Helene!
Oh my gosh how much do I love your East Texas potato 🥔 story. Absolutely hilarious-I’m glad your husband encouraged you to add it! A great historical on the potato! My family still makes and talks about my grandmas ‘German’ potato salad!
Of course, being of both Irish and German heritage, I find the potato highlighted in many of my family recipes. Here is one the whole family loves to make over and over again!
Adding that last tale to an already fantastic post was classic! I can see it in my mind. I remember having hot German potato salad when I was a kid; another of my great-grandmother's recipes.
Your reaction to East Texas cold mashed potato salad would be my reaction to any potato salad with CoolWhip in it. Ew! What? That should remain a family "secret" recipe, eh? It's not a picnic in Minnesota without potato salad.
As to the Cool Whip, surprisingly it doesn't make it sweet, as you might expect, but it sure makes it rich and creamy. Then again, I might be biased :)
This was so much fun to read, Lori! With one side of my family coming from Germany, potatoes were a constant in our house too, though potato salad not so much. I will forever associate that with America, which is where I became familiar with the egg, potato and mayo version. Cool Whip is the one ingredient I simply can't quite imagine in a potato salad--my thought is that it would make the dish too sweet, but obviously I'll have to try that recipe now. The story of your grandma and her Cool Whip container fetish is just too precious, and the East Texas BBQ joint story is a kick! Your questions at the end may just lead me to write a post of my own after I give them some thought. Thanks for another great post!
Fascinated to read about "Kartoffelbefehls, official potato orders". I had never heard of "Cool Whip" though Google tells me it is available in Australia. I love potato salad : I make mine with cooked potatoes, cucumber and some red onion, often I add avocado. The dressing is yogurt, mayonnaise, dill, and maybe a little lemon juice.
My little walk down memory lane with potato salad seems to have sparked a lot of great memories for others, as well.
As I was reading thru all the comments and messages this morning, it got me thinking: Wouldn’t it be fun to collect all of our potato salad recipes and stories in one place and share them with the world?
Welcome to The Humble Potato Salad Recipe & Story Book.
Ok, not a book, exactly, but maybe a free sharable PDF ;)
If you want to participate - and zero pressure - write up your favorite potato salad story and recipe and either post it on your newsletter and tag me so I can find it, or just drop it to me in a private message. Throw in a photo if you like, too!
I’ll continue to gather stories and recipes until May 1, and post a link to the PDF in time for Memorial Day picnicking - how’s that sound!?
I love reading your posts about the relationship between food and family but it is not something I easily relate to. Food was a minor player in my family life growing up ... I do recall hating school dinners and being a very fuzzy eater. Interestingly, my brother is a real Foodie, makes and cooks his own recipes and grows a lot of what he uses in them. He is certainly creating a relationship between food and family and has grandchildren who really appreciate it.
How much do I love your grandma? "Even after my grandparents settled into a long and abundant retirement, Grandma carried with her a no-waste mentality. Nothing got thrown away. The bone from Easter ham went into split pea soup, and stale bread and pieces of the knust were turned into breadcrumbs, and stuffing. I remember Grandma using old cans to bake delicious Boston Brown Bread, and the cuttings from vegetables to make broth."
I am a German potato salad girl. Don't like mayo in my potato salad. This one looks delicious and much simpler than my favorite, which is my go-to when I have vegans come over: Ottolenghi's Pesto Potato Salad (I just leave off the egg and and parm). I also like to add edamame instead of peas.
I loved her, too!
So where do you stand on vinegar-based potato salad? I’m a hard no there, tho it is my husband’s preference.
I’ll have to try your recipe - and edamame sounds like a great add!
I love your East Texas moment. We’ve all been there, right? I don’t mean literally, but rather that moment when we are introduced to some new food or recipe through our spouse (or the family into which we married). It can test our tastebuds and digestive systems, and even change our culinary beliefs.
My mom passed down a special potato salad recipe with sliced green olives -- they add a little unique zip. I am sure this came from her mother, so now it is down to my grandchildren. Is that 5 generations now?! 😶
That’s awesome! Potato salad seems like such a boring and simple thing, but it seems like everyone has their own special tweaks that are passed down. Yours sounds yummy!
My family has my maternal grandmother's potato salad recipe - it's very simple but also very comforting
Ohh i love my mom’s potato salad. Almost equal amounts of potatoes and hard boiled eggs, finely minced onion and celery — (I do use shallots now) and then a mix of equal amounts of Hellmans (never miracle whip) mayo and sour cream, brown mustard, yellow mustard, celery seeds and s & p. If I have fresh I might add some parsley. But it’s the celery seeds that make it!!
Lovely! If you could drop the recipe into a private chat that would be awesome! Or id you’ve already written about it elsewhere, kist drop the link. I think there’s just something wonderful about family potato salad traditions, don’t you?
I will conjure one up! I’m like my Nana and measure nothing. What do I have on hand? Does it look good? Taste good? But I will try!! Lol
I'm going to have to share my recipe as a restack so you get the full effect with photos. This isn't my personal recipe, but (as you allowed me in a separate conversation) one plucked from a classic local fund-raiser cookbook produced by a garden society in Honolulu. What you need to know is that Hawaii might as well have invented the "Food Truck." Given the warm weather and the traditional farming lifestyle, food trucks would bring local favorites to workers in the field. Today it's a big deal for tourists as food trucks come to beaches or have known parking lots. (On a drive around Oahu, don't miss the food trucks in Kahuku at the former sugar mill lot.)
Back to potato salad.
From food trucks, you're typically ordering "plate lunch," something like ahi poke or teriyaki beef. These are invariably served with two scoops of Japanese-style rice and Hawaii's answer to salad. Potato salad and pasta salad are typical.
In a restack I'll share the photos from the "Cosmopolitan" (aka, foreign) section of the community cookbook. Here's "Kamaboko Potato Salad" (with imitation crab) and local style pasta salad with Pepperoni. These are on facing pages of the 1986 Waipahu Plantation Village Cookbook.
The Waipahu Cultural Garden Park is located on land that was still a sugar plantation when we first moved there in 1968. I can still remember the routine burning of the sugar fields. They're online at hawaiiplantationvillage.org.
— • — •— • — •
Kamaboko Potato Salad
- 4 medium potatoes
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 1 1/2 tsp. prepared mustard
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 (10-oz.) pkg. frozen cauliflower, thawed
- 1 (10-oz.) pkg. frozen cut broccoli, thawed
- 7 oz. kamaboko, * diced (or imitation crab)
- 1/2 cup grated carrot
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
In a covered pot, boil potatoes over medium-high heat until done. Drain and cool. Peel potatoes and cut into 1" cubes. Mix next 5 ingredients together. In a large bowl, thoroughly combine potatoes, mayonnaise mixture, cauliflower, broccoli, kamaboko, carrot, and eggs. Chill at least 2 hours or overnight for better blending of flavors. Yield: 10 servings.
-Lily Hirata
Love this entry. Cool whip containers absolutely rule. As for German potato salad, my grandparents liked to make a German dish fondly called “wilted lettuce”. It had greens, bacon, hot boiled and cubed potatoes, red onions and was all tossed in a bacon grease and vinegar dressing. Not exactly potato salad, but it was delicious.
That actually sounds a lot like my dad’s potato salad, which he just called “German hot potato salad”. I’d love to include your recipe and story, @Helene!
Oh my gosh how much do I love your East Texas potato 🥔 story. Absolutely hilarious-I’m glad your husband encouraged you to add it! A great historical on the potato! My family still makes and talks about my grandmas ‘German’ potato salad!
Thanks! I’m gathering family potato salad recipes and salads if you’re interested in contributing 😉
Of course, being of both Irish and German heritage, I find the potato highlighted in many of my family recipes. Here is one the whole family loves to make over and over again!
https://dinnerbell.substack.com/p/mary-janes-potato-salad?r=chxoo
Awesome thanks!
He seems to be a hot commodity in my extended family as well!
Adding that last tale to an already fantastic post was classic! I can see it in my mind. I remember having hot German potato salad when I was a kid; another of my great-grandmother's recipes.
Your reaction to East Texas cold mashed potato salad would be my reaction to any potato salad with CoolWhip in it. Ew! What? That should remain a family "secret" recipe, eh? It's not a picnic in Minnesota without potato salad.
Hehe for sure it is a a MN standard!
As to the Cool Whip, surprisingly it doesn't make it sweet, as you might expect, but it sure makes it rich and creamy. Then again, I might be biased :)
Whipping cream, okay. But I was raised in home without Coolwhip and taught to whip cream by hand. Parkay? No, butter.
Hehe so where did you keep leftovers? 😂
Tupperrware! Nobody else made a celery container like that. My mom threrw her share of Tupperware parties and went to plenty too.
This was so much fun to read, Lori! With one side of my family coming from Germany, potatoes were a constant in our house too, though potato salad not so much. I will forever associate that with America, which is where I became familiar with the egg, potato and mayo version. Cool Whip is the one ingredient I simply can't quite imagine in a potato salad--my thought is that it would make the dish too sweet, but obviously I'll have to try that recipe now. The story of your grandma and her Cool Whip container fetish is just too precious, and the East Texas BBQ joint story is a kick! Your questions at the end may just lead me to write a post of my own after I give them some thought. Thanks for another great post!
Thanks, @Ruth, and I'll look forward to your review of Grandma's recipe and a possible future story of your own!
Fascinated to read about "Kartoffelbefehls, official potato orders". I had never heard of "Cool Whip" though Google tells me it is available in Australia. I love potato salad : I make mine with cooked potatoes, cucumber and some red onion, often I add avocado. The dressing is yogurt, mayonnaise, dill, and maybe a little lemon juice.
My little walk down memory lane with potato salad seems to have sparked a lot of great memories for others, as well.
As I was reading thru all the comments and messages this morning, it got me thinking: Wouldn’t it be fun to collect all of our potato salad recipes and stories in one place and share them with the world?
Welcome to The Humble Potato Salad Recipe & Story Book.
Ok, not a book, exactly, but maybe a free sharable PDF ;)
If you want to participate - and zero pressure - write up your favorite potato salad story and recipe and either post it on your newsletter and tag me so I can find it, or just drop it to me in a private message. Throw in a photo if you like, too!
I’ll continue to gather stories and recipes until May 1, and post a link to the PDF in time for Memorial Day picnicking - how’s that sound!?
Gosh, friends, this is gonna be SO fun!