How to Make American Potato Salad

July 4th, Independence Day, is today. For my friends overseas, that's the day America declared its independence from the British Crown. What better way than to celebrate with something grilled, and a side of American Potato Salad?

Immigrants to America brought their own food and food cultures with them. This is all the better for us American foodies because we get to sample to best cuisines from all across the world. Some foods have become truly American staples, though, contributing to the world's recipes. American Potato salad join the ranks of such tasty dishes as New England clam chowder, meatloaf, and jambalaya. It's also a great cold salad, so you can enjoy it all summer long, not just on July 4th.

Equipment Needed
vegetable peeler
kitchen knife
cutting board
sauce pan
baking sheet
measuring spoons
mixing bowl

Ingredients
6 medium potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup bread and butter pickles
2 tablespoons of the pickle juice from the jar
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
3 green onions
1 medium celery stalk
3 eggs, hard-boiled

Directions
Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut them into 3/4 inch pieces. Place them into a large saucepan with enough cold water to cover them by about 1 inch. Bring it to boil, add 1 teaspoon of the salt, reduce heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for about ten minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Do not overcook, or they will be mushy.

While the potatoes are boiling, you can make the dressing. Finely chop the bread and butter pickles, and put them in a mixing bowl. Finely chop the green onion and celery and add to the pickles. Add the mustard, reserved pickle juice, mayonnaise, sour cream, remaining salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

I bottle my own bread-and-butter zucchini pickles, based on a recipe from my great grandmother. I think they're fantastic for this.

When the potatoes are done, drain them thoroughly and place them on a baking sheet. If you'd like, drizzle a bit of the pickle juice on them and toss evenly. Refrigerate the potatoes until completely cool.

This is a trick I learned from Cook's Country magazine, the sames folks behind America's Test Kitchen. They can't claim it as original, either. The French do it with their potato salads.

Add the cooled potatoes to the dressing and gently mix with a rubber spatula. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes. Chop the boiled eggs and mix them in before serving.

Makes 6 – 8 servings.