Southern Style Smashed Potato Salad Recipe
Last month we went to Arkansas and Texas to bring my mother-in-law to a bluegrass festival. While there we enjoyed all the southern cooking, sweet tea, and I actually got to try something new that I fell in love with: Southern Style Smashed Potato Salad!! Forgive me, I’m from Wisconsin originally and had never tried this. All I can say is YUM!
What is Mashed Potato Salad?
It’s basically the same as regular potato salad, but you mash – or smash – the potatoes before you mix them in. Cook them a little more firm than you’d cook mashed potatoes. So, they’re not mushy.
Also, Southerners seem to be torn on whether to use mayonnaise or Miracle Whip in this recipe. So, I compromised and used half of each.
When I cook, I like to try new things. While that’s awesome, it also means that I may never make something the same twice. It’s also hard to write down what I’ve done after the fact!
Smashed potatoes are the perfect side dish for your summer barbecues and picnics. If you like potato salad, you’ll love it!
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Southern Style Smashed Potato Salad Recipe
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 1x
Description
If you haven’t tried this spin on traditional potato salad, you’re missing out! Southern Style Smashed Potatoes is served all over the South with mouth-watering barbecue and sweet iced tea. You can’t beat it! But, now you CAN make it!
Ingredients
- 3 lbs yukon gold or russet potatoes, cut into chunks
- salt & pepper
- 2 Tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup Miracle Whip (or use total of 1 cup Mayo instead of half of each)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup sweet pickle juice
- 3 Tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 3 hard-cooked large eggs, chopped
- 3 green onions, sliced thin
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet pickles (I used baby gherkins)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery (about 2 stalks)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 – 14 ounce can black olives, sliced (optional)
- smoked paprika (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare potatoes (see notes) by washing well and cutting into medium-size (about 1″) chunks.
- Put the cut potatoes in a large pot, cover with water and add 1 T salt. Bring to a boil over High heat. As soon as it starts to boil, reduce heat to Medium. Then, cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Pour potatoes into a colander to drain water. Place 3 cups of potatoes to a large bowl, and add 1 T vinegar to it. Then, coarsely smash them with a potato masher. (Coarsely, meaning you don’t want smooth mashed potatoes – you want them a bit chunky.)
- Spread out the remaining potatoes on a cookie sheet, and drizzle 1 T vinegar, tossing carefully to mix. Let them cool completely.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the mayo/Miracle Whip, water, pickle juice, yellow mustard, Cayenne seasoning, along with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Mix well, and then add this mixture to your smashed potatoes.
- Finally, fold in the eggs, celery, green onions, pickles, onion and the rest of the potatoes.
- Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled (about 2 hours).
- Season with additional salt & pepper if needed and sprinkle with smoked paprika if desired.
Notes
If using russet potatoes, remove peels. If using Yukon Gold or Red potatoes, then you can leave the peels on.
Don’t forget, the salad needs to be refrigerated for a few hours before serving!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 35
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: potato salad, picnic, barbecue, southern style, smashed potatoe salad