Easy Potato Salad - The Seasoned Mom

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. red potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes
  
• 1 large celery rib, diced
  
• 2 green onions, sliced
  
• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
  
• ⅓ cup sour cream
  
• Salt and pepper, to taste
  
• Optional garnish: additional sliced green onion, chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley or dill), or a dusting of paprika
  

Instructions

• Rinse and scrub the potatoes. Place the whole potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender (about 15-20 minutes, but very small red potatoes may be done in 10 minutes). Drain; let the potatoes cool until you can handle them. Peel the potatoes and dice into bite-size pieces.
  
• Place the diced potatoes in a large bowl. Add the celery and green onion. Gently fold in the mayonnaise and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Add a spoonful of extra mayonnaise or sour cream, if needed, just before serving. Garnish with optional toppings.
  

Notes

• Potato salad can be made 1-2 days ahead of time. Leftover potato salad that has been kept properly chilled will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
  
• It's important to put the potatoes in the pot of water before you heat up the water and bring it to a boil. This ensures even cooking. If you drop the potatoes into already boiling water, the outside of the potatoes will cook quickly, while the inside will stay hard.
  
• Boil the potatoes whole. Do NOT dice or peel the potatoes before they go in the water. Cutting or dicing the potatoes causes them to release steam while cooking, which will result in a mushier potato.
  
• The potatoes will take about 15-20 minutes in the boiling water to become fork-tender. If you're using baby potatoes, they may only require about 10 minutes, so keep a close eye on them -- you don't want to overcook them and end up with mushy potatoes.
  
• How much potato salad per person? It's safe to assume that 1 pound of potatoes will feed about 3-4 people. In this case, 2 pounds of potatoes for the potato salad yields about 6-8 servings. If you plan to feed 20 people, you will need to triple all of the ingredients. To feed 50 people, you will need about 8 batches; for 100 people, about 15 batches...and so on.
  
• Optional additions to the old-fashioned potato salad: Garnish the dish with any fresh herbs that you enjoy (such as parsley or dill); add a sprinkling of paprika just before serving; stir in cooked, crumbled bacon; add a few hard-boiled eggs; include a dollop of mustard; or stir in some pickle relish. Take the basic recipe and make it your own!