Published May 23, 2007.
While developing other potato salad recipes, test kitchen cooks found that seasoning the potatoes while they're hot maximizes flavor. So as we developed our all-American potato salad recipe, we splashed hot russet potatoes with white vinegar and found them to be more flavorful than other types of potatoes treated the same way. Russets do crumble a bit when mixed, but tasters found this quality charming, not alarming. Just 1/2 cup of mayonnaise dressed 2 pounds of potatoes perfectly.
This recipe can easily be doubled. If only celery salt is available, use the same amount but omit the addition of salt in the dressing. When testing the potatoes for doneness, simply taste a piece; do not overcook the potatoes or they will become mealy and will break apart. The potatoes must be just warm, or even fully cooled, when you add the dressing. If you find the potato salad a little dry for your liking, add up to 2 tablespoons more mayonnaise.
This variation of our All-American Potato Salad was published in our cookbook The Best Make-Ahead Recipe.
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