Potato Salad

This potato salad recipe is very easy and yummy.  You can incorporate variations too if you like a sweet or savory potato salad.
Equipment:
6-8 quart stock pot
Small Sauce Pot with lid
Rubber Bowl Scraper
Large Serving Bowl and small mixing bowl

Ingredients:
3 large baking potatoes or 6 medium-yukon gold or russet are good
1/2 Cup to 3/4 Cup Mayonnaise http://expandingfrosting.blogspot.com/2010/05/mayonnaise.html
5 Eggs Hard boiled-instructions below
1 T minced fresh onion or chives
1 T Dijon Mustard
1/4 to 1/2 Cup sweet or dill relish-I use my homemade sweet zucchini relish and it has some red pepper in it which imparts an amazing flavor. http://expandingfrosting.blogspot.com/2010/07/sweet-zucchini-relish.html  
1 T White Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Paprika

Instructions:
Cooking Potatoes
1.  Peel potatoes and cut into bite size pieces, about 1 inch cubes.
2.  Place in stock pot and cover with water.
3.  Boil until potatoes are fork tender but still firm, about 15-20 minutes.  You don't want them falling apart or they will turn into mashed potatoes.  Pull one out of the pot and taste it to see if it is cook through but still firm.
Making hard boiled eggs
1.  While the potatoes are cooking place the 5 eggs into the sauce pot and cover with water with the lid on.
2.  Put on the burner on high and let the water come to a boil.
3.  When the water starts vigorously boiling, then turn off the heat and let the eggs sit for 10 minutes with the lid on the pot.
This is the best way to make hard boiled eggs.  The yolks come out cooked bright yellow and soft and creamy every time rather than really hard and rubbery with that weird gray/green hue.  
Assembling the salad
1.  Drain the water off the potatoes and put in the serving bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool for about 30 minutes.
2.  Drain the water off the eggs and run it under cool water so you can peel them without getting burned.
3.  Peel the eggs and then dry them with a paper towel.
4.  Slice the eggs in half length wise and scoop the creamy yolks out into a small bowl-Set aside.
5.  If the potatoes are cool enough, remove them from the refrigerator to build the salad.  Make sure the potatoes are relatively cool before adding all of the other ingredients. 
6.  Slice the egg whites into 1 centimeter cubes and put in with the potatoes.
7.  Dice the onion very finely-almost to a mince and add to the potatoes.
8.  Add a 1/4 cup of the relish you like.
9.  Salt and pepper the potatoes and gently toss-set aside.
10.  To the cooked yolks add a 1/2 cup mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar.
11.  With a fork, mash the yolks into the other ingredients together until it forms a nice dressing.  There will still be chunks of yolk but try to get them as small as you can.  You can also process this in a small food processor for a creamier texture.
12.  Add the yolk mixture to the potato mixture and gently combine making sure you coat all of the potatoes with the dressing. 
13.  Taste it!  
14.  If you like the taste, leave it alone.  Otherwise, add more of the relish or the mayo to achieve desired consistency and flavor.  Add only a tablespoon at at time and then taste again.  It is easy to get carried away and overwhelm the other flavors in the salad.  Also, add more salt and pepper if needed.
Once you have arrived at perfection, sprinkle the top of the potatoes with paprika.
15.  Eat right away or put in the refrigerator for later.  Before serving, give it a quick toss to redistribute the dressing.  Chilled potato salad is the best!