Classic Potato Salad with a Twist

I LOVE mayonnaise. I love it on fries, especially, but I also enjoy it in salads, dips, as parts of dressings, and in my hair. Trust me, it’s great for getting knots out. One of my family’s classic Easter dishes, my mom’s potato salad, is pulled together by a mix of mayonnaise and mustard. It just has to be there.

When I received an offer to try Nasoya’s vegan nayonaise for an egg-free alternative, I was definitely intrigued and jumped at the chance to try a new-to-me product. How would it measure up with the creamy condiment I love?

vegan nayonaise

On its own, nayonaise tastes surprisingly like mayo. Pretty much just like it, actually. The texture is a little more gelatinous, to me, but it’s still pleasant. I haven’t tried it on fries yet, but I think it’s going to be a happy marriage.

Since we won’t actually be home for Easter, I made a small batch. This simple recipe only contains a few ingredients, but it is always a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:

3 cups small fingerling potatoes or chopped red bliss potatoes

1/2 cup chopped white onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup brown mustard (Gulden’s is what my mom uses)

1/3 mayonnaise or nayonaise

fingerling potatoes

Once the potatoes are boiled and chilled, you just need to toss it all together and chill again until serving.

potato salad

I love how simple this is and how it reminds me of nice weather. We had this potato salad as a side to veggie burgers topped with all sorts of fun toppings, beckoning summer and sunshine to visit soon.

potato salad

The nayonaise was great in this dish; it was as delicious as ever and fun that the dish was vegan and egg-free. My husband is not a huge egg fan and even had some sort of allergy as a child, so it’s nice to be able to have the option to leave the eggs out.

My Easter memories are full of great food, and I love visiting the Eastern European stores in Dorchester this time of year. The kielbasa, paska bread, and smell of hyacinths remind me of my childhood. I just love how much smells and tastes can bring you back to a different place and time.

If you celebrate Easter, what will be on your table? If not, what are your go-to foods or smells that remind you of a favorite childhood holiday?

Tags: Easter, Food, recipe, side dish, vegan, Vegetarian, vegetarian recipe

  1. Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic’s avatar

    We share the same love for mayo! I accidentally bought vegan mayo at Trader Joe’s but it tasted too weird for me, but i can imagine it working well in a potato salad.

    Reply

  2. Michelle Collins’s avatar

    I received a few samples of this vegan mayo as well and was just as pleased with its taste as you were! I love the idea of adding it to potato salad.

    Reply

  3. Aunt Bets’s avatar

    I do love your mom’s potato salad. And definitely the smell of hyacinths reminds me of Nana’s kitchen at Easter. With our family’s Eastern European background, Nana always had trays of pagach (a Ukranian dish with a top and bottom crust – stuffed with cabbage, onions, butter and black pepper and butter. Did I mention butter? She always kept them on the top of the washer – covered with dish towels, but I knew what was under there!! She also made Slovak “egg cheese” called Hrudka. There were egg balls hanging everywhere – round balls of eggs and milk in cheese cloth, hanging over big Pyrex bowls. She then used what dripped into the bowls to make bread for that day. That was my job, getting the liquid to the table where she was mixing bread dough. Nice Easter food memories.

    Reply

    1. traveleatlove’s avatar

      We always had hrudka at Ellie’s house too! I could never get myself to like it then, but I might enjoy it now. Happy Easter! xo

      Reply

    2. Aunt Betsy’s avatar

      Meg, Your mom’s potato salad is really, really good. The smell of hyacinths is definitely an Easter memory jogger for me growing up with Nana. She always made a Slovak pastry called Pagach. A top and bottom yeast dough filled with butter, cabbage, onions, butter, black pepper, and butter. Nana kept these big, baked squares on top of the washer covered with dish towels, but I knew what was under there! She also made a Ukranian (I think) egg ball called Hrudka – milk and eggs – and hung over the kitchen sink wrapped in cheesecloth to make a ball. It was my job to get the drained liquid to her at the table since she used it to make Easter bread. The smell of hard boiled eggs, all of these baked goods, and hyacinths is Easter to me.

      Reply

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