Amish Potato Salad

There are a million ways to make potato salad. That is a fact. Are there a million ways to make Amish Potato Salad? Apparently!

So, the story goes like this...

NO, don't jump to the recipe quite yet. You landed here because you searched for Amish Potato Salad and that, in and of itself, is a little mystery worth looking into.

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Do you Cook the Dressing when making Amish Potato Salad?

I tested and was quite happy with my recipe for Amish Potato Salad. I had it scheduled to be filmed the next day. Keep in mind, these tests take months for me. Facebook alerted me that I had an instant message from Joey.

Joey was asking if I had a recipe for Amish Potato Salad in the Ninja Foodi. I was grinning from ear-to-ear when I told him, "I'm filming it tomorrow." I'm all puffed up like a hen sitting on eggs, thinking I am on top of my game here!

Then, the ball dropped. He started talking about cooking the dressing. What?

If you can imagine a moment in your life when you feel like your stomach drops, that is how I felt. I did research. I tested this recipe. I thought I knew what I was doing and then....BOOM! Cooked dressing. WHAT?

Cooked dressing is something you serve with chicken or turkey, not potato salad, right? I was utterly confused. Apparently, Google does not know everything, or I didn't know the right questions to ask. I never saw anything during my research about cooking the dressing for Amish Potato Salad.

I thought I knew what Amish Potato Salad was and Google confirmed what I thought. It's sweeter than other potato salads and it has vinegar and mustard and eggs in it. Okay. Sounds right. I got to work on creating a recipe for Amish Potato Salad that I was thrilled with. It tasted so good and it is still a good recipe, but Joey prompted me to rethink things and I'm so glad I did.

After I got that message, I knew I had to turn over this stone and figure out why anyone would cook a dressing for potato salad. It seemed so bizzare to me.

I couldn't find a ton of information on it, honestly. I think I saw one recipe that cooks the dressing and nothing specific on Amish Potato Salad having a cooked dressing, either. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this if you have any experience making Amish Potato Salad!

I think Amish Potato Salad can be made either way, cooked dressing or not cooked, and the main differences between Amish Potato Salad and a Regular Potato Salad is in the mustard, sweet pickles, and vinegar, mostly. Then again, I could be wrong and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

The idea of doing something different is always appealing to me and I decided to trust Joey on this one and got to work revising the original recipe.

Turns out, it's brilliant! I can't even imagine making potato salad any other way! Cook your dressing! It results in the the creamiest, most delicious potato salad! You are going to love it!

Can I Make this Recipe Without Cooking the Dressing?

Yes, of course!

I would follow the same recipe, but omit the cornstarch and milk. Make the potatoes and eggs as directed and then add the mayo with the seasonings mixed in and the brown sugar (if you like a sweet potato salad) at the end.

I don't like a Sweet Potato Salad, How do I Change the Recipe?

This potato salad is sweet. I love it, but not everyone will want it that sweet and it's an easy fix.

If you want it just a tad on the sweet side and plan on cooking the dressing, keep the brown sugar and skip the sweet pickle juice. You can use water, or even dill pickle juice, instead.

You can also omit the sweet pickles, but they do add a nice crunch. You can add more celery or switch to dill pickles if you want.

If you don't plan on cooking the dressing, then I would skip the brown sugar and keep the sweet pickles and sweet pickle juice.

If you don't want it sweet at all, omit the brown sugar and the pickle juice/pickles. You can use water in place of the pickle juice or, if you like a more vinegar flavor, use more vinegar and less water.

You will want at least ¾ cup of liquid to cook the potatoes.

Can I Double the Recipe?

Yes! I actually started out testing this recipe with double the amount of potatoes, but it was A TON of potato salad and more than most people would want to make at one time, so I decreased the recipe.

The important thing when making a double batch is not to double the liquid. Keep that the same or, if you increase it, only increase by a little bit. Do not double the liquid or you will end up with a lot of extra liquid.

I know, because I did that! Now, no worries if you do have too much liquid in your potatoes, just drain it out before mixing in the dressing. If you used vinegar and pickle juice in the liquid, you might want to add a touch more to the potatoes.

Can I Cut the Recipe in Half?

Yes, however you will need to use at least ½ cup of liquid in order to bring the pot to pressure and you might have too much liquid left over after pressure cooking. You can simply strain the potatoes of the extra liquid before adding the dressing.

What Can I Use Instead of Raw Egg?

I know some people are very uncomfortable using raw eggs in sauces or dishes like this one. I totally understand!

We do temper the egg and bring it up to 135℉/57℃, which, according to my research, will kill any salmonella that may be present in the egg.

Keep in mind, it is very unlikely that Salmonella is even present, but it is a possibility.

You can use a pasteurized egg product that is heated and will kill all salmonella. You would use ¼ cup of the liquid product. You do not need to cook the pasteurized egg product, so once you cook the other ingredients, allow them to cool slightly and whisk in the egg.

If the mixture isn't thick enough, try heating it for just a few minutes on low while you constantly stir so you don't cook the eggs.

What Potatoes are Best for Potato Salad?

There are so many opinions on this and, really, it boils down to what you like. I prefer a texture difference in my potato salad, so I use half Russets and half Yukon Gold potatoes.

The Russets break down a little more and help create this creamy texture and the Yukon Gold potatoes hold their shape better. It's a win-win for me.

However, you can use whatever potatoes you want and it will be just fine.

Can I Peel the Potatoes First?

Yep! I don't because I despise peeling potatoes. Really despise it. Plus it makes this Amish Potato Salad that much easier to make!

However, you can certainly peel your potatoes first and that won't require any other changes to the recipe.

How to Make Amish Potato Salad in the Ninja Foodi

I like to start any recipe off by prepping the ingredients. This means measuring out the ingredients, doing any chopping or dicing. I really recommend doing that for the first part of this recipe because making the sauce needs constant stirring and it's hard to stir and measure.

I do not cut the potatoes yet! Wait until just before you want to put them in the pot.

Chop the celery into about ¼" dice. I found ¾ cup of celery was a good amount in this recipe. You can add more or less or omit this if you want.

Chop or slice 8 sweet gherkins and measure out ¼ cup of the juice from the jar.

Get the other ingredients together and let's get to it.

Whisk the milk and cornstarch together.

Turn the Ninja Foodi on high sear/sauté and add the milk/cornstarch mixture. Add the mustard, brown sugar and seasonings. Stir constantly and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat.

Lighly whisk an egg into a bowl and then add about 1 teaspoon of the hot mixture and whisk. This is called tempering your egg and will bring the egg closer to the temperature of the hot dressing.

With the Foodi turned off, slowly whisk in the egg. Stir constantly. The egg will combine with the dressing, but should not cook. If you see the egg starting to cook, stop adding it and let the pot cool down just a little more. The temp of the sauce should reach 135°F/57°C and thicken up. Remove from the pot (unless you have two pots) and reserve for use later. Clean the pot.

You might notice that my inner pot is stainless steel. I assure you, I am using the Ninja Foodi in this recipe. Although this recipe will work with the IP or any pressure cooker AND it is fine to make with the ceramic inner pot of the Ninja Foodi, I decided to make the cooked dressing in the stainless steel inner pot that is now available for the Ninja Foodi.

If you want to check it out, here is the Amazon link (affiliate link): (affiliate link)Stainless Steel Inner Pot for the Ninja Foodi

DISCLAIMER:
I was contacted a few months back to test this product for fit and usability and I have used it without any issues with all the functions of the TenderCrisp lid and both Pressure Cooking & Steaming, BUT please be aware that this is a third party seller and it is not made by Ninja. I am in no way liable for the safety or the use of this product with the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper. Please do your own research before making any purchase.

Now, for the fun part.

Dice up the potatoes into bite size pieces and add to a dry pot. This is important because you don't want the liquid to pull the starch out of the potatoes. That can lead to issues with building pressure because the starch in the liquid impedes steam from building which results in sealing the pot.

I don't even peel my potatoes! Super easy!

If you want to read more about pressure cooking, here is an article I wrote that explains it in detail. Pressure Cooking 101

Once the potatoes are all diced up and in the pot, go ahead and add in your water, vinegar, and pickle juice. Sprinkle the salt on top.

Then I just sit the eggs right on top of the potatoes. Yes, you can use the rack or do it however you prefer, but this is so easy. I just wash the eggs and sit them on top.

Put the pressure lid on and turn the valve to seal. Set the pressure on high for 1 minute and when the time is up allow the pot to natural release for 5 minutes. Manually release the remaining pressure.

Trust me, the eggs will cook. I know a lot of people do the 5-5-5 method when making eggs and might think the 1 minute of PC time won't be enough. It will be.

The time to pressure is going to be longer because we have a pot full of potatoes instead of just water, so it works out just fine.

Remove the eggs and place them in an ice bath.

Stir the potatoes and check for doneness. If the potatoes aren't done to your liking, you can add some water and use sear/sauté to finish cooking them.

You should only have about 1-2 teaspoon of liquid left after pressure cooking. If you have more than that, drain the potatoes.

While the potatoes are hot, add the cooked dressing and the mayo. Stir to combine.

Add in the diced celery, pickles and stir to combine. Peel and chop the eggs and add on top.

Fold eggs into potato salad, cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. The cover I use is a silicone cover and it fits both the stainless steel inner pot and the ceramic coated inner pot. It fits all sizes of the Ninja Foodi.

Stir and Serve.