The Best of the Best.

Hands down, this is my favorite potato salad recipe. I got it from my sisters in Maryland, who got it from our niece-in-law Beth in Nebraska, who got it from her Grandma Cross in Indiana.

Good recipes are like that. They travel by taste of mouth and before you know it, you’ve got a recipe that came from someone who got it from someone else who got it from . . . and the trail just keeps going back farther and farther.

Beth’s Grandma Verna Cross didn’t have a recipe for her potato salad. She just peeled, shredded, chopped, stirred, and mixed. Then she taste-tested and kept adding things until it was right.

Whenever anyone asked her for her recipe, she couldn’t give it because she didn’t have it written down. So finally her daughter-in-law Martha (Beth’s mother) watched Grandma Cross as she made her potato salad and measured the ingredients as she dumped and mixed.

It’s a Keeper

Now that there’s an actual recipe to follow, it’s been passed on to her daughter Beth, who lives in Nebraska and is married to my nephew. My sisters brought the recipe from Nebraska to Maryland and then I got a copy and brought it to Virginia with me.

When you’ve got a good recipe, it seems selfish not to share it with others. So here it is.

The How To

While Grandma Cross always shredded her potatoes fine, you can shred or cube the potatoes. Make sure you don’t cook them too long, or they will become mushy. Add a pile of celery, a bunch of hard boiled eggs, chopped onions, and then mix in the dressing. You’ll need whipped salad dressing (not mayonnaise), mustard, sugar, vinegar and salt for the dressing.

I think after you try this recipe, you won’t need to try any others, ever again. But don’t take my word for it. Go ahead and cook some potatoes, and then make it yourself. It’s okay if you want to tweak it a little. I won’t mind, and I’m sure Grandma Cross wouldn’t have minded, either.

The Recipe