Dee Dee's Soul Food Potato Salad (Cookout Worthy Recipe)

Black southern potato salad is serious business and I have the fondest memories of eating the very best version since childhood. The Soul Food potato salad recipe I'm sharing with you today is truly cookout worthy and will have you promoted to potato salad duty in your family after just one bite! Let's get into it.

And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my southern deviled egg dip, too!

Who made the potato salad?

Dee Dee is my auntie on my mom's side and today's recipe is a slightly tweaked version of her potato salad. Dee Dee's name is really Kimberly but I couldn't pronounce that when I was little so she's been my Dee Dee ever since. Nicknames run rampant in African American families!

As long as I can remember, potato salad was her dish. The Black women in my family taught me everything I know about Soul Food; and Aunt Georgia had peach cobbler and my grandma did the pound cakes and southern green beans, and Aunt Carol did the dirty rice but Dee Dee's was THE cookout potato salad.

If you've ever been to a Black function or even just watched the Black Jeopardy SNL skit, you know that the maker of the potato salad matters. And that raisins don't belong!

Flavorful - This dish is tangy, savory, and a little sweet--just what good potato salad should be. Since our family is concentrated in Southeast Texas, ours is similar to a Louisiana style potato salad with Cajun and Creole influence.

Simple to Make - Now, I won't lie to you there is some prep work involved but this is a very straightforward recipe. Boil the eggs and potatoes, make the mayo and mustard sauce, then mix everything up and chill.

Cookout Ready - Good potato salad should be made with care and at least a few hours ahead of time to be the zesty, cold, and creamy complement to heavy and smoky grilled meats we commonly enjoy at barbecues. And this potato salad is worthy of the cookout.

👉🏾 My old school potato salad recipe pairs perfectly with your fave cookout dishes like finger-lickin' grilled ribs, baked mac & cheese, bbq baked beans, and hibiscus sweet tea. Don't forget a slice of red velvet layer cake for dessert!

Going to a cookout soon? Here's my full Black cookout menu right on time for summer.

Skin on or Off is a decision to be made based on what kind of potatoes you use. Red skin potatoes are great for skin on potato salad, however, I recommend peeling the Yukon Gold variety that works best in this recipe.

Mustard goes in potato salad if you ask me so it's not a matter of whether to add it but rather which kind. I like spicy brown mustard but you can also use yellow mustard, Creole mustard or even dijon mustard.

Spices vary from person to person and family to family. Making potato salad using celery salt and onion powder is pretty common.

Garnishes are where you can go buck-wild. I like chives and a generous sprinkle of paprika and sometimes even halved eggs for deviled egg potato salad vibes.

For classic tater salad with a twist, peep my balsamic potato salad!

How to Make Black Potato Salad

1. Step One: Hard boil the eggs, drain them, then peel once they're comfortable enough to handle. (Photos One and Two).
2. Step Two: Roughly chop the eggs to your desired size. (Photo Three)

3. Step Three: Peel the potatoes then cut them into chunks about one to two inches in size. (Photos Four and Five)

4. Step Four: Add the potatoes to a pot with generously salted water and a splash of broth or stock and cook until fork tender. (Photo Six)

5. Step Five: Drain the potatoes and let the cool to room temperature. You can stick the drained potatoes in the refrigerator to cool faster. (Photo Seven)

6. Step Six: While the potatoes cool, chop up the celery and onion then mix them up with mayonnaise, mustard, sweet relish, pimentos, and spices. (Photos Eight and Nine)
7. Step Seven: Mixed the cooled potatoes and eggs into the sauce until evenly coated then cover and place in the fridge to cool for at least one hour. (Photos 10 and 11)

8. Step Eight: When you're ready to serve the chilled potato salad, garnish it with a sprinkle of paprika then add some chopped chive over top.

Is potato salad a Black food?

American potato salad is a southern food now enjoyed across the nation thanks the Great Migration of Black southerners from the Jim Crow South, and eaten by all races of people. African American southern potato salad IS Soul Food, though. Because of the love and care and ingredients we put into it.

So what's the difference vs white potato salad? There's no definitive single difference despite what you might have heard about "Karen's potato salad" but the potato salad of white cultures tends to have much more variation in ingredients and method like the warm German potato salad, for example.

Black and blended cultures outside the United States make potato salad, too, including Jamaican and Puerto Rican.

More Favorite Potato Recipes

Looking for other recipes like this one? Try these:

I hope you'll enjoy the best Soul Food style potato salad recipe soon and very soon. And sharing is caring, so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!