Shortcut Tater Salad & Weird Mamas
Don’t go telling Mama I said this but she has kind of a weird life. You see, Mama has a lot of drop ins. Now that isn’t weird in and of itself but when I tell you a little more about what those drop-ins demand here in a minute you’ll see more what I mean.
To let you in on how my Mama works a little more, I want to tell you about a little family dinner we had at Mama’s house last night. For this little family dinner my mother served:
Fresh fried corn, homemade mac and cheese, cornbread, mashed potatoes, pintos, slaw, meatloaf, kraut and weenies, garden tomatoes, pickles, banana pudding, and fresh cantaloupe.
This was just for family so you can imagine what she’d make if she knew company was coming. But the reason I say she’s weird (other than the fact that a sane and normal person couldn’t have possibly produced me) is because of a conversation we had a few years back “Christy, I need you to come up with a quicker way for me to make potato salad. I’m always having overnight guests show up at the last minute needing potato salad with dinner”
~scratches head and thinks on this~
I have people show up a lot at my house too, but most of my friends know that I’m not real big on the SURPRISE visits (I need at least ten minutes to do a mad dash and hide the laundry pile), but I can’t say I’ve ever had a hoard of folks just show up at my door demanding a bed for the night and potato salad.
I’m not about to question Mama though. I just watch, learn, and know that someday she’ll pass the torch of hosting the we-need-potato-salad-now folks to me. With that in mind, I came up with a much quicker way to pull it together that I’m gonna bring you today. The time you save will surely help you move the laundry pile and load the dishwasher!
The great thing about this recipe is that you don’t have to use this recipe. ~grins~ I just love it when I can use those looped around sentences with y’all. What I mean is that you can use the shortcut and then just make your potato salad how you normally do. Now if you’d like to make it the way I do, I’m gonna show you how. This is a great potato salad that has been known to win over non-potato salad people as well.
How many times have I said Potato salad so far? ~stops to count~ Seven. Well now, I bet we can top that.
Potato Salad, Potato Salad, Potato Salad, Potato Salad! Now lets make it!
You’ll need: Southern Style Hash Browns*, Crisp cooked bacon, chopped boiled eggs, cheese, sweet pickle relish, mayo, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste.
Now if you REALLY wanna make it in a hurry, leave out the bacon and boiled eggs or make them the day ahead of time. But this whole recipe is assuming you’re pressed for time so that kinda defeats the point. Bacon and boiled eggs are really good in it though!
I am of the firm opinion that there is no human condition, situation, or recipe which is not immediately improved with the addition of bacon.
Place cubed hash browns in large pot and cover with water.
Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Once potatoes reach a boil, boil them for two to three minutes.
Drain in a colander.
I always wanna spell colander wrong. Colander, Necessary, and Embarrassment are words that taunt me daily in my zeal to misspell them!
My mother in law gave me this colander a few years ago and I just love this thing.
Kitchen equipment makes me happy
Place cooked potatoes in a large mixing bowl.
These bowls are Pyrex (of course) and the pattern is called “New Dot”. I think they’re from the seventies but have not had enough coffee to motivate myself to go look it up to be sure so sixties, seventies…one of those is surely the answer!
Dump in your cheese over your warm potatoes
and give that a little stir.
Now add relish, mustard, and mayo
and give another little stir.
Add in bacon and eggs
and salt and pepper to taste
Give another little stir.
Cover and refrigerate a few hours or overnight before serving.
Ingredients
- 32 ounce package frozen Southern style hash browns (the little cubed ones)
- 3 eggs, hard-boiled and chopped
- 5 strips bacon, cooked crispy and crumpled
- 1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1/3 cup sweet relish or diced sweet pickles
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place cubed hash browns in large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
- Once potatoes reach a boil, boil them for two to three minutes and then drain in a collander. Place in large mixing bowl and stir in cheese. Add mayo, mustard, and relish and stir again. Add in bacon, eggs, and salt and pepper. Stir. Refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.
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Ingredients
- 32 ounce package frozen Southern style hash browns (the little cubed ones)
- 3 eggs, hard-boiled and chopped
- 5 strips bacon, cooked crispy and crumpled
- 1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1/3 cup sweet relish or diced sweet pickles
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place cubed hash browns in large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
- Once potatoes reach a boil, boil them for two to three minutes and then drain in a collander. Place in large mixing bowl and stir in cheese. Add mayo, mustard, and relish and stir again. Add in bacon, eggs, and salt and pepper. Stir. Refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.
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In cooking, as in all the arts, simplicity is the sign of perfection.
Submitted by Kolene. Submit your quote here.
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Posted by Christy Jordan
on Jun 16 2010. Filed under Side Dishes.
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I like to save time by mixing everything together except the taters and storing it sealed tightly in the fridge. Lasts for days and its ready when I am. Imagine if you did this and combined your hash browns, super simple. Gonna give it a try.
A great time saver, but I would ALWAYS have to add chopped onions to any potato salad I make.
Oh I was thinking I couldn’t make it without onions, Jerry! You are so right!
Isn’t this a great idea, even w/o the onions, though?
Yum…..Thanks! Everything is better with Bacon & Cheese in it…… ;D
well i like the idea of the bacon and eggs and cheese with this, but if you have to refridgerate it a few hours or overnight you might as well use up your taters from the bin…oh i know …with the frozen ones you dont have to scrub and peel…i might try it since all the slicing and dicing is eliminated…but i am still going to put in my olives and celery! ~chuckles & giggles~
I’ve used the frozen hash browns to make potato salad for years. It does save time! You can just add whatever you like for your version of potato salad and no one will be the wiser!
I just tried this and I don’t know what I done wrong but I basically had mashed potatoes..They were already getting smushy before they even started to boil and they taste kinda gritty, these were alright but I don’t think I will make them again and its a bummer cause they were so fast.
Try with canned potatoes. Just drain and proceed.
my Mother canned potatoes when they come in fresh just for the occasion for quick tater salad and she always mashed the taters for mashed tater salad, my Daddy ate it as often as he could get her to make it…. good times
I have never heard of putting cheese in potato salad! I’m kind of scared to try it, but I’m sure it’s good.
I just made the potato salad. From opening the frozen taters to sitting in the fridge was 20 mins !!!!! I’ve never made it this fast before. I did add the cheese and I’ve never had it in my salad before and honestly I dont see where it helped the taste as it kind of gets melted and lost in the other ingredients. I tasted it and its good.
I am so glad to hear that you liked it!!
When I am wanting potato salad for one or two and I’m in a hurry, I microwave the potatoes. I cut up the veggies and get out the other ingredients while they are cooking. Very easy and fast. Of course the potatoes may not be as cubed as you would like. The salad usually turns out to be of the mashed variety.
I wasn’t at all sure this would be good, but boy, was I wrong! (Really I knew if Christy was sharing this, then it would be great!) And it was….super! NO one wanted to believe how easy it was and how good when I shared it at the family gathering. Keep ‘em coming!
I’ve never heard of putting cheese in potato salad. I’ll have to try this. I would probably add some chopped Vidalia or green onions too.
Sounds good!
Christy, I do battle the spelling challenge! for colander I use the word Drainer-Strainer! HAHA!! Love your recipes and the stories you share of your mom and your family. Thank you!
When my husband was in seminary and we were very poor, we wanted potato salad but didn’t have money to buy a bag of potatos. I had a box of instant potatos so I made them up and mixed in all the stuff I would put in potato salad. We loved it.
Also, you can substitute plain crackers for the potatos, just use a little more mayo.
Now that’s a true Southern Potato Salad! I thought I was the only one that would go as far as to put in cheese and bacon in my potatoe salad but the bag of frozen hash browns beat it all! lol…got to try it at least one time!!
It’s that time of the year…thinking about some stewed NC Blue Crabs w/ potatoes and onions with the bacon it it!! omg! woooweeeee!!! hide the pot! lol !!!
LOL, you are so funny Tanya!
I will have to try this, my quick version of potato salad is American ready made from the grocery add chopped onions, extra dash or two of relish, about 10 hard boiled eggs chopped, salt and pepper to taste, don’t add any extra mayo or Miracle Whip as it is already wet enough and this will double the amount when finished. Stick it in the fridge and it won’t take long for the flavors to blend and be ready to eat. My daughter took it to a church gathering and everyone asked her for the recipe.
Just use your favorite store bought now I will try adding the bacon and cheese to it.
I just wash my potatoes, and leave the skins on. At sea level it only takes me about 10 minutes to boil cut up potatoes when we lived in the rockies they took 30 minutes. Bacon and cheese sounds over the top, but celery and onion awesome. Each to their own, love you recipes, Christy and like you say, in your kitchen do it your own way! Hubby will never quit loving you for teaching me how to make a decent pork chop!,
I am so glad it was a help Beth!!
Never had cheese in potato salad, have to try it. Christy, speaking of bacon; have you tried the bacon scented candle yet? The one I saw is by yankee candle. I like bacon but the candle did not smell so good to me, but others may like it. Have a safe and wonderful trip. God bless you.