Amish Potato Salad
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Amish potato salad is distinct for its creamy cooked dressing and sweet-and-sour
flavor. We modernized this recipe by ditching the labor-intensive dressing, which
is traditionally enriched with eggs and gently cooked over a double-boiler. To keep
the rich taste with less work, we processed a hard-cooked egg yolk into the dressing
base of vinegar and sugar. Sprinkling a few tablespoons of the tangy dressing over
the hot potatoes infused them with flavor. Then we tossed the cooled potatoes with
the rest of the dressing, enriched with sour cream, for a cool, creamy potato salad
with great old-fashioned flavor. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.
SERVES 8
You can substitute an equal amount of celery salt for the celery seed, but if you do, eliminate the table salt from the dressing. Make sure to use sturdy Yukon Golds here; fluffy russets will fall apart in the salad.
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3 |
pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch chunks |
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Salt and pepper |
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⅓ |
cup cider vinegar |
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¼ |
cup sugar |
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2 |
tablespoons yellow mustard |
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4 |
large hard-cooked eggs, peeled (recipe follows) |
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½ |
teaspoon celery seed |
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¾ |
cup sour cream |
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1 |
celery rib, chopped fine |
1. Bring potatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, and enough water to cover by 1 inch to boil in large pot over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, microwave vinegar and sugar in small bowl until sugar dissolves, about 30 seconds. Process vinegar mixture, mustard, 1 hard-cooked egg yolk (reserve white), celery seed, and ½ teaspoon salt in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer to medium bowl.
3. Drain potatoes thoroughly and transfer to large bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons dressing over hot potatoes and, using rubber spatula, gently toss until evenly coated. Refrigerate until cooled, at least 30 minutes, stirring gently once to redistribute dressing.
4. Whisk sour cream into remaining dressing. Add remaining egg white and 3 hard-cooked eggs to dressing and, using potato masher, mash until only small pieces remain. Add dressing and celery to cooled potatoes, tossing gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. (Salad can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)