This is the salad that Mother’s friend Barbara brought to every picnic for decades. I hadn’t made it in more than 30 years. One spoonful and I was transported back to middle school. This recipe is a hybrid of a “German-style” potato salad and the classic mayonnaise-based potato salad that graces many American tables. -E

Barbara’s Potato Salad

Ingredients:
For the salad:
2 ½ to 3 pounds red bliss potatoes, cooked and chopped
1 ⅔ cups chopped celery
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 cup chopped sweet pickles
½ pound uncooked bacon, diced

For the dressing:
1 ¼ cup mayonnaise
2 T. sweet pickle brining liquid
2 T. bacon grease from frying the bacon above
1 t. seasoned salt (can substitute celery salt)
½ t. kosher salt
black pepper

Directions:
In a medium frying pan, cook diced bacon until crispy. With a slotted spoon, remove bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel. Reserve bacon drippings for dressing.
In a large bowl, gently fold potatoes with celery, eggs, pickles and bacon.
In a small bowl, mix mayo with bacon grease and pickle liquid. Add seasoned salt and kosher salt. Season to taste with black pepper and additional salt as needed.
Add dressing to potato mixture and gently toss. Garnish with additional sliced eggs.

Notes:
You may need to thin the dressing with additional pickle liquid and bacon grease.

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