Optional garnish: additional sliced green onion, chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley or dill), or a dusting of paprika
Instructions
Rinse and scrub the potatoes. Place the whole potatoes in a large pot of cold water. Bring the water to a boil, add salt to the boiling water, and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender (about 15-20 minutes, but very small red potatoes may be done in 10 minutes). Drain; let the potatoes cool until you can handle them. Peel the potatoes and dice into bite-size pieces.
Place the diced potatoes in a large bowl. Add the celery and green onion.
Gently fold in the mayonnaise and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Add a spoonful of extra mayonnaise or sour cream, if needed, just before serving. Garnish with optional toppings.
Notes
Garnish the dish with about a tablespoon offresh herbs, such as parsley or dill.
Sprinklepaprikaon top of the salad just before serving. My mom does this for a colorful touch.
Stir in cooked, crumbledbacon, add a few hard-boiled eggs, include a dollop of yellow mustard or Dijon mustard, or stir in some pickle relish or chopped dill pickles. Take the basic recipe and make it your own!
Put the potatoes in the pot of water before you heat up the water and bring it to a boil. This ensures even cooking. If you drop the potatoes into already boiling water, the outside of the potatoes will cook quickly, while the inside will stay hard.
Boil the potatoes whole. Do NOT dice or peel the potatoes before they go in the water. Cutting or dicing the potatoes causes them to release steam while cooking, which will result in a mushier potato.
The potatoes will take about15-20 minutes in the boiling water to become fork-tender. If you're using baby potatoes, they may only require about 10 minutes, so keep a close eye on them -- you don't want to overcook them and end up with mushy potatoes.
Use full-fat mayo and sour cream for the best flavor and texture. With so few ingredients, you want the highest quality in this dish.
The potatoes will absorb some of the sour cream and mayonnaise while the salad chills in the fridge, so you will likely need to add an extra spoonful of mayonnaise and/or sour cream right before serving.