Emeril Shares 'Favorite' Potato Salad

June 20, 2008 — -- With "Good Morning America's" great Potato Salad Challenge underway, Emeril Lagasse shares his own secrets to liven up this standard dish — beginning with his personal favorite.

Click here to enter Emeril's Best Potato Salad Ever challenge.

Emeril's Favorite Potato Salad

Makes About 8 Servings

Ingredients:

14 small boiling potatoes, such as red bliss, about 2 ½ pounds, scrubbed well

6 slices crisp cooked bacon, crumbled 6 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped

1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

1/3 cup finely chopped celery

1 cup ranch dressing

2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the potatoes are just tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, cool, then cut the potatoes into halves (or quarters if large).

In a large mixing bowl combine potatoes with all remaining ingredients and gently toss to combine. Refrigerate the salad several hours before serving to allow flavors to blend.

Spicy Dill Pickle Potato Salad

Makes 6-8 Servings

Ingredients:

3 pounds small yukon gold potatoes, well scrubbed and quartered

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup sour cream

2 tablespoons buttermilk

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons dill pickle juice

1 teaspoon red hot sauce, or more to taste

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Pinch cayenne

3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

½ cup chopped dill pickles

1/3 cup chopped red onions

Directions:

In a large pot, combine the potatoes with 1 teaspoon of salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.

In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, mustard, pickle juice and hot sauce. Add the garlic, dill, remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, pepper, and cayenne, and whisk to combine. Place the potatoes in a large bowl and add the dressing, tossing to coat evenly. Add the eggs, pickles, onions and toss to combine. Adjust seasoning, to taste.

Refrigerate until cool, 2 to 3 hours, before serving.

Cilantro-Avocado Potato Salad

Makes About 4 Servings

Ingredients:

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and small diced (1/3-inch cubes)

1/3 cup finely minced red onions

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 firm-ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and small diced

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoon minced jalapeno

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves

1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional)

Directions:

Place the diced potatoes in a medium saucepot with cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Immediately turn down to a simmer and cook the potatoes until tender, 10 to 12 minutes total. Cool the potatoes under cold, running water and drain.

Combine the potatoes, onions and garlic in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Add olive oil, tossing to coat. Add the avocadoes, lime juice, jalapeno, cilantro and toss well to combine. Adjust seasoning if necessary to taste. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

German Potato Salad

Makes About 6 Servings

Ingredients:

2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and medium diced

Salt

6 ounces raw bacon, chopped

1 cup chopped onions

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ to 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup whole grain mustard

4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

¼ cup chopped green onions

Directions:

In a saucepan, over medium heat, cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes in a colander and set aside to keep warm. In a sauté pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Add the onions and season with black pepper. Sauté for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked potatoes, crispy bacon mixture (with fat), vinegar to taste, mustard, eggs, and green onions. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Using the back of a spoon, mash the mixture together. The salad should be well blended but with some lumps.

Garnish with parsley and serve warm.

Note: this is great served with warm grilled sausage or pork

Green Onion Potato Salad

Makes 5 Generous Servings

Ingredients:

1 large egg yolk

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon minced garlic

¾ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

½ cup chopped green onion tops (green parts only)

2 pounds cooked, unpeeled new potatoes, halved if small, or quartered

1/3 cup finely minced red onions

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Place the egg, mustard and garlic in a blender and blend on low speed. While the machine is running, slowly drizzle the olive oil through the feed tube until the oil is incorporated and the mayonnaise is thick and creamy. Add the salt, pepper and green onions to the blender and process briefly to combine.

In a medium bowl, place the potatoes and red onions. Pour the mayonnaise over the potatoes and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with the cilantro.

Day-After Crab Boil Potato Salad

Makes 8 to 10 Servings

Ingredients:

3 pounds cooked new potatoes leftover from a crab boil, cut into 1-inch pieces

12 ounces bacon, cooked until crisp, drained and crumbled, drippings reserved

¾ cup coarsely chopped black olives, such as kalamata

¾ cup coarsely chopped stuffed green olives

1 onion leftover from a crab boil, chopped 3 green onions, finely chopped

1 head garlic leftover from a crab boil, cloves removed from peels and smashed

1 cup mayonnaise

Salt and black pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the potatoes, crumbled bacon, ¼ cup of the reserved bacon drippings, black olives, green olives, onion, and green onions.

In a small bowl combine the smashed garlic cloves and mayonnaise and, using the back of a spoon or a fork, mash until the garlic is well blended with the mayonnaise. (Alternatively, combine the garlic and mayonnaise in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and thoroughly blended.) Add the garlic-mayonnaise mixture to the other ingredients and toss the potato salad until thoroughly mixed. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.

Recipes courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Emeril's Food of Love Productions 2008