Homemade Russian Potato Salad, Astoria

I have a confession. I’m sure this will come as a shock to some of you (aka any mayo-haters out there) but I actually really like mayonnaise. I enjoy it on my sandwiches (the perfect BLT requires really good mayo) and I absolutely love cole slaw, egg salad, mac salad, and potato salad (funny how little lettuce is in those things and yet they’re all “salad”). I even really like the strange turkey / grape / mayo salad that Whole Foods has at their salad stations.

Apparently mayo is extremely popular in Russia, so I blame my roots. My mom and her mom both use it liberally (although my mom actually uses Vegenaise) so I also blame them. My grandma makes a version of this potato salad that is so good, I sneak bites of it from big bowls in her fridge that she’s made for big potlucks or parties. She never gave me her recipe, but since I tried to emulate hers, guess in a way this is a family recipe.

This is my version of the perfect potato salad, but it actually also has hard-boiled eggs, so it’s sort of a potato salad / egg salad hybrid. Actually, in writing this post I did a little research and I guess there’s something called a “Russian Salad,” which is composed of diced potatoes, vegetables and chicken bound in mayonnaise. Let’s all just take a moment to appreciate the fact that a Russian “Salad” is meat and potatoes, bound by mayo. I know they include “vegetables ” in the description, but in Russia, potatoes are the vegetables. So it’s official, “salad” is a catch-all phrase for things thrown together to make other things that otherwise have no name. I will call this my “Russian Potato Salad,” which I think covers all bases while still being upfront about the fact that it’s mostly potatoes and mayo.

If you’ve read my other recipes you know that I’m very loose in terms of measuring. Everything I do is “roughly,” as I season by taste and adjust textures and consistencies as I go. Here’s a the recipe for the best potato salad you’ll ever eat (after my grandma’s), aka Russian Potato Salad:

• 3 large potatoes
• 5 celery ribs
• 3 hard-boiled eggs
• 3/4 cup mayo (use more or less, to taste. I just eyeball it but I’m guessing this is about how much I’d use)
• Fresh dill (I like a lot, but vary the amount according to your own tastes)
• 1/4 cup capers plus 1 tbsp. caper juice from the jar
• Salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes and the eggs (separately). Let them cool then chop into bite-sized squares. Chop the celery into small, half-bite-sized pieces. Mince the fresh dill. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and chill.