Make it a truly traditional American 4th of July this year with all the classic cookout dishes. Start with burgers and brats on the grill and round it out with fresh corn-on-the cob, deviled eggs, potato salad, and a cobbler for dessert.
Classic Potato Salad
Recipe by Millie Peartree for NYT Cooking
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds russet, Yukon Gold or other potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sweet relish
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon chopped onion (or scallions)
- 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced small
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- Sweet paprika, for garnish
Preparation:
- Set the potatoes in a large pot; add 1 tablespoon salt and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Set over high heat and cook just until fork-tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. (You still want the potatoes to still have some shape to avoid turning the dish into mashed potatoes.) Drain potatoes and set them aside to cool.
- As potatoes cool, make the dressing: To a large bowl, add mayonnaise, relish, mustard and onion; whisk to combine.
- Add the potatoes to the dressing, along with the diced hard-boiled eggs, and celery; stir gently to combine. Taste and season with salt and black pepper as needed.
- Chill for at least 2 hours, and up to overnight. Serve cold. Finish with a sprinkle of paprika. Potato salad will keep for 4 days in an airtight container. Makes 8 servings (2 ½ quarts).
Cook’s Notes: If you like sweet relish, great! I am not a sweet relish person, so I always leave that out of recipes that call for it. I also like to cut the mayonnaise with some Greek yogurt in whatever proportion you prefer. I usually do 1/2 and 1/2. And lastly, I think additions that you like are just fine. Bacon crumbles, blanched green beans or peas, diced ham, all come to mind.
Check out these cookout classics from our recipe archive:
