potato salad secret ingredient

April 12, 2023 11:11 AM

I'm not ordinarily a big potato salad eater, but last year I had a layover in Orlando, so I ate lunch at Cask & Larder, and the potato salad came with my meal as a side. It was so good that I'm now interested in eating potato salad. But everything I've bought or made so far has been missing something. What does Cask & Larder put into theirs to make it so good?

My default potato salad recipe includes mayo, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pickle relish, and eggs. I'll add celery, onions, and paprika occasionally. None of these taste like what I'm looking for. But it's been long enough that I can't remember the specific taste of the Cask & Larder potato salad to experiment further. If any of you know the actual ingredient, great. If not, ideas for what it might be are appreciated.

For reference, the potato salad in question came as a side to their barbecue platter with pulled pork, andouille sausage, and mac and cheese.

posted by kevinbelt to Food & Drink (31 answers total)

This is not Cask & Larder specific, but when I want my pasta/potato salads to taste incredible I add a little MSG and it really adds another incredible dimension.
posted by kdar at 11:18 AM on April 12, 2023 [8 favorites]

bacon / pork fat? It's a common German potato salad ingredient, and would make sense from a pork-heavy restaurant.
posted by momus_window at 11:19 AM on April 12, 2023 [3 favorites]

Nice, I grab something from there every time I go through MCO!

It's a long shot, but why not drop them a line and ask them? They might send you the complete recipe - I've gotten couple over the years from different restaurants we've visited.
posted by jquinby at 11:25 AM on April 12, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: The couple who started that restaurant - Julie and James Petrakis - have a bunch of other restaurants, including Swine & Sons in Orlando. They have a potato salad on their menu there (under sides) and it calls it a "buttermilk-dill potato salad." It stands to reason with their southern approach they'd be doing something similar with their potato salads at their other establishments. (Yum, that sounds good, also)
posted by urbanlenny at 11:27 AM on April 12, 2023 [6 favorites]

Response by poster: Oh man it probably is dill. I love dill, but for some reason I never thought to try that. And you know what? Even if dill isn't the right answer, it's going to be really tasty!
posted by kevinbelt at 11:33 AM on April 12, 2023 [15 favorites]

Best answer: I was going to suggest dill, even though I've never eaten at that restaurant. In my experience, the answer to "OMG WHAT IS THAT?" about potato salad is almost always dill.
posted by OrangeDisk at 11:35 AM on April 12, 2023 [7 favorites]

You could also try horseradish.
posted by canoehead at 11:36 AM on April 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

There was someone I used to follow online who swore by adding vanilla to their potato salad. Every time this controversial take came up, they would insist on it and there would be converts in the comments attesting to the amazing note that it offered to their own potato salads. I cannot confirm this but this reminded me that I was willing to try it out at least once and never got around to it.
posted by amanda at 11:46 AM on April 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

Not to the recipe you enjoyed, but more in response to your standard one: I find chives work better for me than onions in potato salad. I will fall back on onions only if I don't have any chives.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 11:50 AM on April 12, 2023 [4 favorites]

The secret to many a Southern dish is Duke's Mayonnaise.
posted by 10ch at 11:51 AM on April 12, 2023 [4 favorites]

Also, could be celery seed.
posted by 10ch at 11:51 AM on April 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Definitely try dill. If it had a bit more tang/acidity than normal mayonnaise and vinegar would create you might also want to replace some of the mayonnaise with buttermilk/natural yogurt or sour cream. They would all add a different flavour dimension and work really well with dill.
posted by koahiatamadl at 11:52 AM on April 12, 2023 [3 favorites]

Try a different flavored vinegar, with a little bit of MSG.
posted by kschang at 11:58 AM on April 12, 2023

My grandma’s potato salad calls for celery salt, and I’ve had some people try it and not recognize the flavor.
posted by theotherdurassister at 12:01 PM on April 12, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Joining in on the dill chorus.
posted by praemunire at 12:07 PM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

I think dill and buttermilk would go great together in potato salad--I'm going to try that soon. I've been adding dill to mine for years, but never thought to try buttermilk, even though my favorite coleslaw uses buttermilk. When I don't have any buttermilk for slaw I find that cutting the mayo with whole milk yogurt adds a similar tang and creaminess. And to mirror How much is that froggie in the window's comment above, I always use green onion and/or chives in potato salad, never bulb onions.
posted by indexy at 12:10 PM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

Dill is probable! But if you're a botanical hipster, lovage in place of celery is another trick I like.
posted by away for regrooving at 12:23 PM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

Pork fat?

FTW?
posted by Windopaene at 12:27 PM on April 12, 2023

Also, what kind of mustard are you using? I like a brown mustard like Gulden's in cases like this.
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:32 PM on April 12, 2023

The owners published a cookbook too. I can't find the index online though.

The Ravenous Pig: Seasons of Florida

For the bonus question, my potato salad trick is using a really nice roasted garlic salt.
posted by advicepig at 12:44 PM on April 12, 2023

Chopped walnuts and apple are also really good, and my mom will take a cup of the starchy water the potatoes were boiled in, add a bouillon cube to that and mix it back into the potatoes. Another good thing to try is to replace some or all of the mayo with sour cream.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 12:51 PM on April 12, 2023

Response by poster: Apparently my last batch of potato salad got thrown away in favor of Easter leftovers, but I did find some egg salad and mixed some dill into that, and it was good. I'll pick up some buttermilk next time I'm at the store, but I think we can call this one solved.
posted by kevinbelt at 1:04 PM on April 12, 2023 [6 favorites]

One last trick for super dillage ( that I think came from the Pioneer Woman site) was on top of dill and chopped dill pickles, to put in some of the pickle juice as well.
posted by pepper bird at 3:11 PM on April 12, 2023 [5 favorites]

Nthing the pickle juice. That was my grandmother Esther’s secret ingredient.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 4:55 PM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

Dry mustard rather than bottled, wet mustard made with nasty white vinegar. Use chopped bread and butter pickles and lemon juice for the tartness instead. Steam the chopped, raw potatoes rather than boiling them, nine minutes for yukon gold, 7-8 for reds or russets. Another trick is to take 3 tablespoons of olive oil with a clove of chopped garlic in it, and a teaspoon of dill, and microwave for 20 seconds. Stir this oil into the potato cubes before steaming. Fresh dill is best but dried is good.
posted by Oyéah at 5:13 PM on April 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

Other people have covered the dill aspect but I also like adding in goat cheese. A lot of people think they don't like goat cheese, but mixed in as a background note, it's great!
posted by edencosmic at 6:28 PM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

I missed where you put the link to your recipe page :)
posted by toodleydoodley at 8:28 PM on April 12, 2023

My grandmother’s potato salad always had a healthy dose of pickle juice. Man. It really finished it nicely!
posted by Happydaz at 9:27 PM on April 12, 2023

Maybe the secret is dill and buttermilk--that sounds delicious! But I wanted to offer the recipe my family makes (both my mom and my grandmother and likely clipped from a magazine years ago):

Liz’s Potato Salad

Marinade:
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

2 ½ pounds potatoes
4 hard cooked eggs, chopped
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons parsley
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Cook washed, whole potatoes in boiling salted water until just tender.
Meanwhile mix the vinegar, oil, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside but mix thoroughly again just before using.
As soon as the potatoes are tender, drain and peel; slice into a large bowl. While the potatoes are still hot, add egg, onion, and parsley (we also add chopped celery and shredded carrot) and toss lightly. Immediately pour the marinade over but do not toss. Let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour. Add mayo and toss lightly; serve chilled.

Marinate the potatoes in a vinegar dressing while still hot from cooking. That is the secret to the best potato salad.
posted by carrioncomfort at 6:13 AM on April 13, 2023

I'm here to join the dill chorus and to offer one other recommendation. Years ago, I was visiting a friend who served a simple vinegar and dill potato salad that didn't have any mayo. Blew my mind that potato salad could be so simple, light, and delicious.
posted by hessie at 6:44 AM on April 13, 2023 [3 favorites]

Celery seed!

But now I’m so curious about adding vanilla
posted by exceptinsects at 9:26 PM on April 18, 2023