potato salad recipe [moved from Kosher]

[Michele Lowenthal]

What's the secret to the deli potato salad? You know the kind at Katz's- plain white- no eggs or veggies other than shredded carrot on top. The deli's won't give it up but there's a certain something that I just cannot duplicate at home. I don't live in the NYC area anymore but crave this stuff.

[galleygirl]

I've never had the potato salad at katz's,(but ahh, those kasha knishes...) but I do remember that when I was trying to replicate my Granma's potato salad,( Jewish-Polish,made with miracle whip or mayo..) I couldn't figure out why it wasn't QUITE right, and my mother said the secret ingredient was a little plain ole white vinegar. BINGO!!!

[Michele Lowenthal]

i wish that it was the vinegar. I've tried all combinations of vinegar, mayo, mustard, no mustard, oil, no oil, sugar, no sugar. There is something else and the deli's will not divulge the secret. I've always heard that it is Hellmann's mayo and Heinz white vinegar but there is something else.
Thanks for your reply, though.

[ironmom]

One thing Cook's magazine discovered when perfecting their potato salad recipe is that the potatoes should be tossed with salt and vinegar/lemon juice while still hot, to season them. Otherwise they are irretrievably bland, regardless of what kind of dressing you use.

[Jill Rovitzky Black]

I remember reading an article years ago about someone trying vainly to replicate New York deli/coffee shop potato salad, until he finally realized that the secret was not to use Hellmann's but to go with the cheapest store brand or generic he could find. That plus a little white vinegar might do it.

[MIchele Lowenthal]

Interesting- don't use Hellmann's. That could be why in the years of trying and using Hellmann's only ,I never came close to the true flavor of deli potato salad. I had always heard that Hellmann's was the only mayo to use. Now the question is what other mayo to use. That should keep me busy.
Thanks everyone.

[MU]

They are probably using food service mayo, which you can find in huge jars at places like BJ's or Costco and is labeled "Extra Heavy." It's got a somewhat different texture than mayo you'd buy at the supermarket, and it coats food in a more... insistent way. You can get Hellman's brand food service mayo.

[Suzanne Fass]

I wonder if the *whiteness* indicates that the dressing is NOT mayo-based at all. That is, nothing with egg yolks. And, of course, no dairy products. Maybe some sort of boiled dressing (usually disgusting, I know, but...) with flour, white vinegar, salt, and sugar? Hmmmmmmmmmmm...

[MU]

Mayo is pretty white. I would guess that whiteness just indicates the lack of mustard, a pretty common potato salad ingredient, in the mix. But probably including that vinegar, sugar, and salt that you mention.

[bagelman01]

Yes, Hellman's for commercial Deli Potato Salad.
In the late 1970s I worked for a kosher caterer and also in a Kosher deli. They bought all their salads from Sally Sherman (as did almost every kosher deli and caterer who did not make their own)
On the label of every tub-the Hellman's Mayo logo.

It's more about the processing of the potatos than just the mayo.

Sliced, not chunked or mashed. Really steamed, not boiled and definitely vinegar to keep them white.

[phantomdoc]

Katz's deli serves Sally Sherman potato salad and coleslaw. Available in many supermarkets.

[HMBeach]

I remember a Jewish Deli I went to in Mountain View ,CA. 30 years ago.They had the best Macaroni salad. I tried for years to duplicate it. I used Rice Wine Vineger and Roasted garlic with Best Foods Mayo ,no eggs . They also added cold slices of Chedder. I creamed a fresh onion in the food processor to add. I also added a small amount of fresh cream. The Rice vineger has the perfect amount of sweetness.

[Nancy Berry]

Here's a good recipe:

NYC Deli Style Potato Salad

5 pounds boiled potatoes (new potatoes are best), chilled, then peeled and sliced 3/16" thick (not diced). Do not use baking potatoes. Do not overcook.
1/2 cup grated carrot (optional)
1/4 cup minced curly parsley (optional)
--Dressing--
1 1/2 cups Hellman's or Best Foods Mayo
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 Tbl kosher salt
1/2 Tbl ground black pepper

Mix potatoes with dressing (mix with hands).

Not all potatoes are created equal, so.... Thin dressing with milk (buttermilk is best) if necessary. Adjust vinegar, salt, pepper to taste.

Refrigerate 24 hours before serving.

Dust finished salad with paprika.

NYC deli-style potato salad contains no onion, no sugar.

[Michele Lowenthal]

Thanks Nancy, but I tried this recipe and it didn't taste like what I remember. I'm starting to believe that it isn't Hellmanns mayo after all since there are so few ingredients and the mayo is the one thing I have not experimented with.

[mikegberg]

I just tried this recipe and tasted it while the potatoes were still warm. I took someone else's advice and subbed pickle juice for the vinegar. The only adjustment I will make next time is to decrease the salt accordingly. Otherwise, it is very tasty, and pretty close to what I would expect at a NY kosher deli.

[Karl]

Another old-time deli custom is to use pickle juice instead of (or partly instead of) vinegar. It's a frugal way to make use of leftover pickle juice that cannot be reused to make more pickles. Pickle juice is a more complex flavoring, obviously, than vinegar (but, depending on its brininess, you need to be a bit more cautious about adding salt). Our neighborhood delis (at least the German, Jewish and Polish delis; not the Italian delis) used it for cole slaw, potato salad and macaroni salad.

[lucy richards]

I like potato salad

[Marion Brown]

The best potato salad in the whole world (and I've been all over), was from a little deli on 231st.street in the Bronx. Now this goes back quite a few years - I moved from there over 35 years ago - but if anyone out there remembers, let's hear it now! I think it did have a touch of sugar, though.

[nanleemorales]

Hello everyone, I was just wondering if Michelle ever found the perfect potato salad recipe?

[sig]

I make mine as my mom does and its so good. Just Boil Potatoes in quarters, drain and allow them to cool, then add Hellman s Mayo, Heinz Sweet Relish, One chopped hard boiled egg, and top with chopped scallions. Everyone likes it!

[The Professor]

For me, potato slad is relatively simple. I like some mayo in there, but it shouldn't dominate and the coating shouldn't be gloppy at all. A couple tablepsoons of mayo, some olive or pumpkinsed oil, a spoonful of vinegar, a pinch of sugar, salt, and pepper, and some celery seeds does it nicely. I like finely chopped onions in there too, but it \'s certainly optional. The potatoes matter too...red skinned new potatoes are a must as far as I'm concerned.
But whatever you use, simpler is better, don't go overboard with mayo...that's a mistake a lot of folks make and the result is just too heavy..

No relish or anything like that...save that for the ham salad.

[spydbear]

What I found was that the whipped dressings are better than straight mayo for potato salads, but I'm not fixated on any one style. It all depends upon what I have in the fridge!
I've been away from NY for too many years - 38 years - and the deli memories I have are the thin dough shelled potato knishes; half sours that weren't too salty; coleslaw that was creamy; hot dogs that were boiled and often grilled.
Rye bread that didn't fall apart in a sandwich.

[Dovid]

I would not be surprised if some of the delis of old added sour cream to the mayo dressing.

[The Professor]

A dab of sour cream in there is definitely good...I sometimes add that to my regular mix.

[queenscook]

Not kosher delis.

[Dovid]

Agreed. Some people have memories of non-kosher delis. Potato salad was also found in appetizing stores.

[spydbear]

Nope, kosher deli. Although the coleslaw was creamy, it was from a ton of mayo and not as much vinegar as many places use.
As for potato salad
I find if you let the potatoes cool completely or even a couple of hours in the fridge and then mix in the ingredients you get a creamier dish.

[zsero]

Please pay attention to who's responding to what. Queenscook correctly pointed out that a kosher deli could not possibly have added sour cream to the mayo dressing, as Dovid suggested.

[brokemommy]

I always add the juice of the sweet pickle to my mayo and mustard, and sometimes the juice from pimentos or roasted red peppers..yummy

[phantomdoc]

Sally Shemans as sold at Katz's among many other places lists
Potato, Hellmanns Mayo. Then vinegar sugar salt onion not necessarilay in that order, a preservative or two.

[TKCHOW]

While this may not produce your deli reproduction, try using a splash of the very same pickling juice that goes into your salad in addition to your vinegar, add a pinch or two of sugar and I think you'll be closer than you've ever been to the 'deli' stuff.

[RGC1982]

Onion powder. Not onion, just dehydrated powder.

Some also have relish, the green kind you put on a hot dog. I know for a fact that this is the key ingredient in many deli macaroni salads,

I do understand the obsession. Sometimes there is just nothing like it.