The Only Southern Potato Salad Worth Buying Locally
If you’re from the South, potato salad is a must have in the summer. Whether you’re having a cookout or a potluck supper, potato salad is a staple. And everyone has their own favorite recipe. I make my potato salad using my mom’s recipe. It’s simple and easy, but flavorful. There are times when you don’t have time to make your own, so you go for a grocery store brand. Southern Living has the info on the only Southern potato salad worth buying locally, according to their readers, and I agree with them.
Duke’s mayo is a MUST in our area and I know I’ll get slammed for this but I use Hellman’s. That’s what my mom uses, so that’s what I have always used. Her potato salad is easy but it’s my favorite. It’s just potatoes, celery, white onion, salt, pepper, mayo and a dash of Dijon mustard. My mom’s recipe is chunky, which I like. The potatoes, celery, and onion are cut in chunky pieces, not tiny ones. And it has just enough mayo. I know some folks like a LOT of it, but I prefer just enough to mix all the ingredients together. Extra ground pepper is a must for me too.
But when you don’t have time to make your favorite recipe or if it’s just too damn hot to cook in the summer, where do you go for good potato salad? I’ve found that many store-bought brands taste less than fresh. They’re overloaded with mayo and for some reason, the mayo tastes weird. But Southern Living asked their readers where they go for good store-bought potato salad and most folks said that Publix is the place to go. I totally agree!
Although it’s not the cheapest grocery store, Publix by far has the best in-house made products in my opinion. Their spinach tip is amazing, their fried chicken is better than most restaurants, and I LOVE their Tuscan Roasted Garlic Bread in the bakery section. Once it gets too hot to cook, I’ll buy the bread, toast two pieces, put goat cheese on it and top it with Heirloom tomatoes. OMG! It’s my favorite light meal in summer.
But back to the potato salad. Publix offers potato salad in half, one-, or two-pound tubs. And they offer different varieties. If classic Southern potato salad is your go-to, theirs is yummy. It has potatoes, mayo, celery, pickle relish, onion, mustard and hard-boiled eggs. They also offer a New York-Style potato salad that’s good and a Homestyle Red potato salad. Usually, I go for the red. It pairs very well with a piece of their fried chicken and their subs! But for the true, hard-core Southerner, definitely try their Southern version. You won’t be disappointed.
You can also doctor up Publix or any store-bought potato salad. Buy a few containers, put them all in a bowl, and add extra pepper or paprika. You can even add extra veggies or eggs. We won’t tell anyone that you didn’t make it.
Y’all don’t trust just anyone to make this treasured Southern side dish. https://t.co/9sTv6BikWz
— Southern Living (@Southern_Living) April 16, 2023
