Recipe ~ Mom’s Potato Salad

The Story,

In the late 1940s we lived just outside of Portland, Oregon in the little town of Hillsboro.  My mom worked at a grocery store named Tipton’s in what we would now consider the deli section.  Mom would make her Potato Salad along with other salads at home and then bring them in for the deli.  You could do that back then.  Mom “trained” her replacement who happened to be Mildred Reser on how she made her potato salad before she left.  Mrs. Reser started her business making potato salad from her home and secured a contract with Safeway Stores in 1951 after we had moved to California.

This story was told to me by my mother after she had moved back to Hillsboro and I have no reason to doubt it.  When I buy potato salad these days, I always go for Reser’s Mustard Potato Salad, as it is the closest to my mom’s that I have found.  Now I’m sure the recipe has changed some over the years, but this one will keep you coming back for more.   As with all of my Mom’s recipes, don’t skimp at least the first time when you make it.  There will be more opportunities to tweak it next time.

Ingredients:  (Serves Many)

• 10lbs of Russett Potatoes
• 3 Dozen Large Eggs
• 6 Bunches of Green Onions (Use tops as desired)
• 2 Cans Medium Black Olives (Sliced not diced)
• 2 Jars Chopped Pimentos
• 2 Quarts Sweet Pickles (Cut in small pieces)
• 2 Quarts Best Foods Mayonnaise
• 1 Cup Yellow Mustard
• 1/2 Cup White Vinegar
• 1/2 Cup Sweet Pickle Vinegar
• 1-1/3 Cup Sugar
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix:

• Clean, quarter and boil potatoes with skins on.  Remove skins after cooked and cut in 1/4″-1/2″ slices in large mixing bowl.
• Hard boil eggs and peel.  Slice eggs once length ways and the in 1/2″ slices.  Put in mixing bowl.
• Clean and Chop Green Onions in 1/4″ slices at least 1/2 way up the greens. Put in mixing bowl.
• Slice Sweet Pickles once length ways and then in 1/4″ slices.  Put in mixing bowl.  Save Pickle Vinegar from jars.
• Drain and add Black Olives  and Pimentos to mixing bowl.

Dressing:

• In a separate mixing bowl add:
  • Mayonnaise
  • Mustard
  • White Vinegar
  • Sweet Pickle Vinegar
  • Sugar
  • Salt & Pepper
• Mix until blended. (not whipped)

Gently blend dressing into mixing bowl ingredients until it is a consistency you like and well mixed.  Keep any extra dressing to thin later.

The Potato Salad may still be warm, so unless you are going to serve it right away, put it in the refrigerator to chill.  I find it is better the next day when the flavor really starts to come out.

Note: As with any salad that contains mayonnaise, it is a good idea to keep it refrigerated when not serving.

Enjoy.