Texas potato salad with bread and butter jalapeno pickles
When I asked my family how they make their potato salad, they all provided recipes that called for similar ingredients: chunky, unpeeled potatoes (either red new, brown russet or Yukon gold potatoes), green onions, celery, hard-boiled eggs, sweet pickles, mustard, and mayonnaise. And if you’re on my dad’s side of the family, you stir in some Durkee’s as well.
This is the potato salad that always graced the table at our family barbecues—a thick mouthful that was soft and crunchy, tangy and sweet. But as I asked friends that hail from other regions of the country how they make their potato salads, their recipes sounded shockingly similar.
My family assured me, “Yes, this is how we do it.”
But is it particularly Texan?
People say it’s the mustard that makes a potato salad a Texas potato salad, but doesn’t everyone use mustard? Perhaps we just use more.
Of course, we also eat a lot of German potato salad in Texas. This concoction, most commonly found in the Hill Country, is usually served warm (though it’s also delicious cold). It’s a mix of red new potatoes, bacon, green onions, mustard, and vinegar—with nary a dollop of mayonnaise to be found.
Sure, mustard is a quintessential Texas condiment. But so are pickled jalapenos. And why aren’t these in a Texas potato salad? Heck, even my mom—who is the queen of pickled jalapenos and its juice—doesn’t add it to hers. “Why not,” I asked. She didn’t have an answer, but insisted that sweet pickles are a key ingredient that compliments the other flavors.
Even though I’m no fan of sweet pickles, apparently I’ve been eating them in my potato salad my whole life without complaint, so I could see her point. But I still felt that a Texas potato salad needed jalapenos. So I compromised and made a batch of bread and butter jalapeno pickles and added that instead.
I love it when I have a hunch and it’s proven correct. And yes, these bread and butter jalapenos were a wonderful balance—sweet enough to be pleasing to the tongue yet fiery enough to make my lips tingle. Bread and butter jalapeno pickles were just what I needed to perk up my potato salad and make it my Texas potato salad.
But enough about me, what does Texas potato salad mean to you?
Texas potato salad with bread and butter jalapeño pickles
Ingredients
Ingredients for the bread and butter jalapeño pickles:
- 6 jalapeños, sliced
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
- 1 cinnamon stick
Ingredients for the potato salad:
- 2 pounds red new potatoes, cubed
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 green onions, diced (green part only)
- 1/4 cup bread and butter jalapeños, diced
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon bread and butter jalapeno pickle juice
- Black pepper
Instructions
- To make the bread and butter jalapeños, pack the sliced peppers into a pint-sized jar.Place the vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seed, cloves, allspice, and cinnamon stick into a pot and bring to a boil, then pour over the jalapenos.Let cool (about half an hour), then cover and refrigerate. The jalapeños will be ready in 2 hours.To make the potato salad, in a large pot, cover the potatoes with cold water, add the salt, bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Should be tender but not mushy.Drain potatoes and rinse in cold water. Toss with the vinegar and let cool in the refrigerator for half an hour.After the potatoes have cooled, gently stir in the celery, green onions, jalapeños, mustard, mayonnaise, paprika, and jalapeño pickle juice. Taste and add salt and black pepper, if desired.
Anankae–Love sour pickles in my salad!
Wroxton–Welcome! I look forward to seeing you again!
Farah–I hear you on the iced tea front–such an economical drink and yet so seldom found. Why is that? And while I have found that commercial potato salad is always cloying, white and sweet, my non-Texan friends have been known to add mustard. Perhaps, just not as much as us.
Lorijo–Meat drippings? Oh, my!
Screwed Up Texan–Pickle juice is amust!
Laura–I'm thinking the sweet pickle thing is more Southern than Texan perhaps.
Anon–I'll have to add green chiles next time!
Lissa–Dill and potatoes are a wonderful combination.
Sara–The pickles are wonderful, and are also great with cream cheese.
Victoria–Tis the season for potato salad!
Brando–Mashed potato salad is very much an East Texas thing.
Mary–Yep, the mustard does make it yellow and tangy!
Andy–Oh, yes–can't have potato salad without a BBQ brisket sandwich!
Kagee–That sounds a lot like German potato salad.
Meg–I agree, I don't know why store-bought potato salad has such an emphasis on the mayonnaise.
Anj–Why thank you! And I hope you had a happy 4th as well!
MellowRoast–Mustard definitely keeps it interesting.
Lisa–Yep, they give a bit of sweetness and a whole lot of fire.
Dr. Bubba–I do like it warm but prefer it cold.
Gregg–Pinch of cayenne will definitely add some heat!
Melanie–Bell peppers and pimentos–I forgot about them!
Chrissy–Pickle juice is a superb secret ingredient!
Nikki–Bacon! Yes!
Jana–I'll have to try it with celery salt.
Madcooks–Another vote for celery seeds!
I was wondering what exactly a German potato salad is!
Although, that's a funny choice for it's name, as most of Germany (except maybe for Bavaria) staunchly believes in mayonnaise with their potato salad 😉
Thanks for the explanation!
I love a good potato salad and am always on the lookout for recipes to try. Like you, I find that there are certain ingredients that are consistent and then are are one or two other ingredients that are different or more of a particular ingredient is added. Love potato salad! 🙂
Equal parts of mayo or Miracle Whip, and mustard, with sweet relish. It has to be cold, not warm, for my family so chill it early in the day for it to be ready for the meal.
To me Texas potato salad is warm German potato salad. Yummy!