The Best-Ever Hawaiian Potato Salad Recipe

The Best-Ever Hawaiian Potato Salad Recipe

This recipe originated with one I found online more than 12 years ago and I have been tweaking it ever since.

• Prepare the ingredients as discussed above -- leave the potatoes whole but chop the carrots, celery, pickles, green onions and boiled eggs.
• Boil the potatoes until they are tender but not too soft. Once they have cooled, cube them in bite-size pieces.
• Cook the macaroni as instructed on the package. I often cook a little bit extra with another meal in order to avoid doing this as an extra step.
• Add all of the ingredients except the dressing to a large bowl.
• Combine the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and then add them to the rest of the ingredients. Because the amount of potatoes and because how you like your potato salad will vary, you may have to add extra dressing. Remember, too, that pasta soaks up dressing and adjust accordingly.
• For the best results, let rest, refrigerated, for one day. My mother sprinkled paprika over her potato salad and I do that sometimes. Some people chop a bit of fresh parsley and sprinkle it over the salad as garnish.

A Few Potato Tips

• For a potato salad that doesn't end up mushy, use waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold, which keep their shape better than starchy baking potatoes. Do not use Idaho potatoes or baking potatoes. Waxy potatoes cook faster, do not get mushy and do not fall apart as easily. You don't have to peel them, just scrub and cook!
• Pieces that are cut the same size will cook in the same amount of time. Alternatively, you can leave the potatoes whole (as my recipe does) and cut them up after they are cooked.
• Martha Stewart recommends the following recipe for taking your potato salad on the road in warm weather. It does not have any mayonnaise -- replacing the mayo with 1/2 cup of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard.
• Martha Stewart also says that potatoes can be steamed instead of boiled which is another way to keep them from getting mushy. Pieces should steam cook in about 15 to 20 minutes. I might just try that method next time.

Creative Potato Salad Add-Ins

Just be careful not to add to many salty and acidic ingredients!

• Sliced celery.
• Diced red onion.
• Sweet pickle relish.
• Chopped sweet pickles.
• Slivered green onion.
• Capers.
• Chives.
• Hard cooked eggs.
• Bacon!