Bowls filled with potato salad abound during the summer months, but never more so than on tables in July when the heat of the season has a stronghold on the South.
Some may have no mayonnaise, while others will be made by creative cooks always trying to up the ante when it comes to a different way to serve potato salad.
However, Southern cooks have known for generations that the best potato salad is one that keeps things simple: Tender potatoes combined with Duke’s mayonnaise, celery, onion, chopped eggs, some dill pickle juice and maybe, just maybe, a dash of ranch dressing. And that’s the way I made it for decades until a couple of years ago when I tried the Pioneer Woman, aka Ree Drummond’s, recipe for smashed potato salad. Since then, I’ve been switching back and forth between the two. It’s just as simple as traditional potato salad, only different.
Food historians will tell you that above all, though, true Southern potato salad is not sweet, so sweet pickle relish is a no-no darlin’, no matter how many online recipes call for sweet pickle relish under the heading “Southern Potato Salad.”
I love smashed potatoes on their own with a beautiful grilled steak, but when you mix them with some potato salad ingredients, it takes things up a level. Or two or three.
Smashed Potato Salad
3 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
6 slices bacon
4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish
2 garlic cloves, grated
Preheat the oven to 450 F degrees. Add the potatoes and a large pinch of salt to a saucepan, then cover with water by an inch. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, flipping occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes; let cool, then chop and reserve.
Grease two sheet pans with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, then set the potatoes on them. Using the bottom of a glass, squash the potatoes into rough circular shapes, making them as thin as possible with craggy edges. Brush the tops with the remaining
Bake the potatoes until they are a deep golden color and crispy, 25 to 28 minutes. Remove and let sit while you make the dressing.
In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, dill, parsley, chives and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the potatoes and half the bacon. Toss to coat. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the remaining bacon, dill and chives. Serve at room temperature so that potatoes stay crispy.
Contact features writer Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.