Since I live in Estonia, I've eaten so many different potato salads in my life. The good ones, the bad ones and the interesting ones. With mayo or without (German-style). Over the years, I've discovered that I still like our family's version the best. Maybe it's because I've grew up with it. It's pretty usual that in Estonia, the salad contains sausage. But even when I was a meat eater, I don't remember our version having sausage in it. Thanks to our potato salad standard, I'm pretty finicky about other versions.
For example, I don't like when a potato salad contains apples or fresh cucumbers. I've also encountered a salad where frozen peas were used instead of the canned ones. Or even more unfamiliar - fresh paprika chunks. I love veggies, but paprika is my least favorite. It tends to dominate too much and in my humble opinion, it is very overused in vegan meals. I also have a feeling that fresh stuff (apples, cucumbers, paprika) just isn't very suitable in classic mayo salads. I prefer canned and boiled versions. But it's definitely a very personal choice and I know that every family has their own and loved version of the potato salad. Especially in Estonia. But even I can learn to love different versions. Like the last time, when I forgot to buy canned peas and used boiled carrots instead. It was delicious!
Have fun making this salad and I would really like to know, what kind of potato salad is your family's favorite. Even if it contains paprika :)
Preparation time: 30 minutes + cooling the potatoes
Serves: a big bowl of salad, about 6 - 8 people
- 10 larger uncooked potatoes (about 2,8 lbs / 1300 g)
- 23 oz / 660 g can of peas
- 4 - 5 large dill pickles (1 cup / 200 g chopped)
- 3 heaping Tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 2 ¼ cups / 530 ml vegan mayo
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- (1 Tbsp sugar)
Important note: sometimes, the vegan mayonnaise can be too thick or too sour. That's why I've included the sugar in this recipe. Taste your mayonnaise and add the sugar if it's too soury. Also, if it's too thick, thin it down by adding some vegan heavy cream or plant milk.
Or you can make your own vegan mayonnaise using this recipe. Make a double batch for this salad!
Directions:
Wash the potatoes, don't peel them and boil them in a large pot in plenty of water until soft. Not too mushy, but soft to the middle when trying with a fork. Drain the potatoes and cool them down. If you cut them into half, they will cool down quicker. In the meantime, you can drain and rinse the peas, cut the pickles into smaller cubes and finely chop the dill. Now mix the mayo with some salt, ground black pepper and sugar, if needed.
When the potatoes are cooled down, peel them and cut them into smaller cubes. Add peas, pickles, dill and mayonnaise sauce. Mix thoroughly. Taste and add some salt and/or sugar if needed. This salad is best when it has been sitting in the fridge for a couple of hours. And it will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.
