Ten pounds of potatoes makes a potato salad that serves 35 to 40 people at a half cup each. For a classic creamy version you need about 3 cups of mayonnaise, 1/4 cup of mustard, 12 hard-boiled eggs, 2 cups of celery and 1 cup of onion. Keep it cold, at 40°F or below, until serving.
This is a scaled-up classic American potato salad for a party, a reunion or a church supper, with the quantities worked out for 10 pounds of potatoes.
Ingredients
- 10 pounds waxy or all-purpose potatoes (red, Yukon Gold or white), peeled if you like
- 1/4 cup salt for the cooking water
- 12 large eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and chopped
- 2 cups diced celery (about 5 ribs)
- 1 cup finely diced onion (sweet or red)
- 1 cup sweet or dill pickle relish, drained
- 3 cups mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar or pickle juice
- 2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
- 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper, then to taste
- Paprika and chopped parsley or chives to garnish
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes in batches. Cut the potatoes into 3/4-inch cubes. In your largest pot (or two pots), cover them with cold water by 1 inch, add the salt, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 8 to 12 minutes, until a fork slides in with slight resistance. Ten pounds rarely fits in one home pot, so cook them in two batches.
- Season while warm. Drain well and spread the potatoes on sheet pans. While they are warm, sprinkle them with the vinegar, which they absorb better than when cold.
- Cool quickly. Refrigerate the sheet pans, uncovered, until the potatoes are cold, about 1 hour. Spreading them thin cools them fast and safely.
- Make the dressing. Whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, 2 teaspoons of salt and the pepper.
- Combine. In a very large bowl (or two), fold together the cold potatoes, eggs, celery, onion and relish, then fold in the dressing.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours so the flavours meld. Taste and adjust the salt before serving, and garnish with paprika and herbs.
How Many People Does It Feed?
Ten pounds of raw potatoes, plus the other ingredients, makes roughly 18 to 20 cups of salad. As one side dish among several, allow about 1/2 cup per person, which feeds 35 to 40. If it is the main side, allow about 3/4 cup per person, which feeds 25 to 28.
Food Safety for a Big Batch
- Cool the cooked potatoes and eggs completely before mixing.
- Keep the salad at 40°F or below. Serve it in a bowl nested in ice, or put out a smaller bowl and refill it from the fridge.
- Discard salad that has sat out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F.
- Refrigerated leftovers keep for 3 to 4 days. Mayonnaise-based potato salad does not freeze well.
Make-Ahead Plan
Boil and cool the potatoes and eggs the day before, and chop the celery and onion. On the day, mix the dressing and combine everything at least 2 hours before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Should I peel the potatoes? Red and Yukon Gold potatoes can stay unpeeled. Russets are better peeled.
- Can I make it mustard-forward? Increase the mustard to 1/2 cup and reduce the mayonnaise to 2 3/4 cups.
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