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.
Delicious looking salad! You've got a great site w. beautiful photos!
Those B & B jalapenos sound YUMMY!!
My mom's potato salad was always peeled potatoes, mustard, mayo, dill pickles, hard-boiled eggs and pimentos! I love it really cold with a little spoonful of BBQ sauce over the top!! Makes me want my dad's BBQ right NOW!!
Kagee–I had no idea, that's too funny!
Cynthia–There are a ton of potato salad recipes, aren't there?
Overstreet–I prefer it cold myself.
Michelle Stiles–That reminds me of home, as well.
Monica–Paprika does add an extra kick!
HoustonGurly–I'll have to try that–I bet the red peppers make it look pretty, too!
Tommy–I have to agree with you, though I have had some potato salad that was too sweet for my tastes. And yes, dill is awesome in potato salad!
Paula–I love to keep people guessing with the mysterious flavors!
Passions and soapboxes–Of course, chili powder!
Chef Fresco–Thank you!
Esmer–Thank you! BBQ sauce goes very well with potato salad, doesn't it?
As a central Texan I'd say the German vinegar variety is the most "Texan" to me, but as a girl who used to sneak off to the store to buy HEB brand mustard potato salad (yeah, that was my favorite junk food. sad.) I'd say the mustard kind certainly reminds me of being a kid. I just bought some bread and butter jalapenos and was mulling over what to do with them besides eat them by the handful. Genius. Potato salad – of course!
Potato salad as I know it (similar to Nikki's. Also from West Texas):
Russet potatoes very slightly mashed
Celery
Onion, Yellow and Scallions
Pickle Relish
Chopped Dills with a little juice
Hard Boiled Eggs
Sometimes some chopped black olives
Miracle Whip
Yellow Mustard
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Bacon
A lovely combination of opposite textures and flavors