My Grandmothers’ Iowa Potato Salad

Tangy Potato Salad
When I was a girl, I was amazed that both of my grandmothers made the same potato salad…as did several of the local farm wives. It wasn’t until I was older and met a woman completely unacquainted with my family and friends who made exactly the same potato salad that I realized the connection: they were all from the MidWest, most of them from Iowa. This deliciously tangy potato salad keeps for several days and the longer it sits in the fridge, the better it gets!

If you are making boiled potatoes for dinner, throw some extra in the pot so you will have left over potatoes the next day for potato salad. This is a crowd pleaser and has found favour with everyone I have served it to.

Ingredients:
2 lbs (1 kg) White Rose or Yukon Gold potatoes
2 medium onions
6 large eggs
Miracle Whip
French’s mustard (yellow mustard)
White Vinegar
½ small tin sliced black olives, drained (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare:
The night before or morning of serving day:
Cut potatoes into bite size (peeling is optional), place in large pot. Cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil and gently boil (uncovered) until potatoes are fork tender. Drain thoroughly and set aside in colander.

Hard boil the eggs, remove shells, and set aside.

When eggs and potatoes are cool, place in bowls, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of four hours.

Serving day:
Peel and chop onion, add to potatoes.
Cut eggs into bite sized pieces and add to potatoes.
Add olives to potatoes

In a separate bowl place 1 cup Miracle Whip, ⅓ cup prepared mustard, 1 tsp. white vinegar, and ½ tsp salt. Stir briskly and taste. The dressing should be a bit tart, but none of the three flavours should dominate. If the mustard dominates, add some more Miracle Whip; if the Miracle Whip dominates, add some more mustard; if the dressing lacks tartness, add a little vinegar.

Once the dressing is satisfactory, pour it over the potato mixture and fold in, coating the ingredients thoroughly (you may need to make more dressing if you like your potato salad “goopy”). Return the bowl to the refrigerator for at least two hours to allow the flavours to marry. Immediately before serving, sprinkle lightly with freshly ground pepper.