I use buttery Yukon Gold potatoes and a sprinkling of fresh dill in my version of my mom’s classic picnic-style potato salad. It’s best before being refrigerated, when it’s still slightly warm and extra creamy, so try to make it just before serving, if time allows.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6 to 8

　　10 to 12 small Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3 pounds), halved

　　Pinch of kosher salt

　　3 large eggs

　　1 cup your favorite or Homemade Mayonnaise (page 280)

　　2 large dill pickles or Jimmy’s Dills (page 288), diced (about 1 cup)

　　4 celery stalks, diced

　　2 scallions, trimmed and diced

　　3 tablespoons your favorite or Sweet Pickle Relish (page 299)

　　2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

　　1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

　　Dash of hot sauce

　　Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with enough water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil and add the kosher salt. Reduce the heat to a low boil and simmer for 15 to 17 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender.

　　

Step 2

Add the eggs, cover, and steam for 10 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a small knife. Drain the potatoes and eggs and set aside to cool slightly. Crack and peel the eggs under cold running water, then chop and place in a large bowl with the potatoes.

　　

Step 3

Add the mayonnaise, dill pickles, celery, scallions, pickle relish, dill, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine all the ingredients, mashing some of the potatoes with a wooden spoon.

　　

Step 4

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature or refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve, for up to 2 days.

　　

Sara’s Swaps

Step 5

For Pesto Potato Salad, make this recipe as directed, but in place of the mayonnaise add 1/2 cup Arugula Pesto (page 255).

　　Reprinted with permission from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen: Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal by Sara Foster. Copyright © 2011 by Sara Foster. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Sara Foster is the owner of Foster's Market, the acclaimed gourmet take-out store/cafés in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the author of several cookbooks including The Foster's Market Cookbook, winner of the Best Cookbook Award from the Southeast Booksellers Association. She has appeared numerous times on Martha Stewart Living Television and NBC's Today show. She has also been featured in magazines such as More, House Beautiful, and Southern Living, and is featured regularly in Bon Appétit.