Shredded Potato Salad
Let us be honest with each other, there are probably three million potato salad recipes floating about, but I couldn’t care less about any of them. A bold statement for someone who just wrote a shredded potato salad recipe and brought you here to read it. Never have I understood why potato salad disgusted me until I took the time to analyze the logic behind my distaste: big chunks of cold potatoes. It’s a texture thing.
Cold chunks of potatoes have no place in my kitchen. Being the humble guest I am, I will try anything put out on a potluck table. Since it’s such a popular dish and I entertain quite a bit, I had to experiment and find something that I could prepare and be happy about putting on my own table. It did not take long once I realized it was all about the texture….so I simply shredded. If you disdain chunks of cold potatoes, perhaps this shredded potato salad recipe is for you too.
Recipe Highlights
Bring the water to boil and add a bit of salt. I like to have the water ready so I can toss the potatoes in as soon as they are shredded. Potatoes like to turn brown on you when they are cut and exposed to air. It’s actually a reaction of the enzyme polyphenol oxidase. When you expose the potato’s cells to the oxygen in the air it turns brown (same with apples).
Shredding the potatoes is straightforward. Grab a potato and rub that thing against the cheese shredder. Mind your knuckles. Nobody wants to eat the remnants of your shredded knuckles in their potato salad. I used the bigger holes since I was afraid “finely” shredding the potatoes would make them cook too quickly and become mushy. Don’t bother with peeling them unless you wish. I personally like the color the red skins produce, and I read here that they also add additional vitamin C, vitamin B, potassium, and fiber to the dish. So when people think you were lazy for leaving the peels on, drop that bit of knowledge on them.
Boil the potatoes for a couple minutes and drain. Rinse them with cool water to stop the cooking process and get all the excess water out.
The rest is pretty easy, combine the mayo, dill, dill pickle juice (secret ingredient), salt & pepper, mustard, onion, and bits of bacon. Mix it, chill it (best to make it the night before), and eat it. Top it with cute bacon bits, cheese, and chives and you look fancy at the family barbecue.
Shredded Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp chives chopped
- 1 tbsp dill pickle juice
- 1/2 tsp dill
- 1/3 cup bacon bits
- 1/4 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup onion diced
- 2 tsp prepared mustard
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper to taste
- 2 1/2 lb red potatoes
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
- While the water is coming to boil, begin shredding the potatoes using a cheese shredder. Unless desired, do not bother peeling the skin.
- Immediately after shredding, place the potatoes in the boiling water. Allow potatoes to boil for 5-10 minutes or until they are no longer raw, but not mushy and keep their form.
- Once done, strain the water and rinse with cold water to cease the cooking process.
- Drain as much water as you are able, possibly using a dishrag to squeeze out excess water.
- Place the cool, dry, shredded potatoes in a large bowl and combine with the mayonnaise, prepared mustard, diced onion, pickle juice, dill, bacon bits, and salt & pepper. Thoroughly mix all the ingredients and allow to chill for several hours. It’s best to prepare the night before eating
- Once chilled, top with additional bits of bacon, chives, and cheese.
Despite how awesome I might appear online, mistakes happen. If you happen to spot one on this recipe, save your fellow cooks a disaster and let me know by using the contact form.
The lack of detail regarding the boiling of the potatoes and how delicate they are is highly disappointing and so was the end result. In retrospect, I would think rinsing them and squeezing out the excess water before boiling would be prudent. Though they were only boiled 7 minutes or so they turned to mush.