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Amish Potato Salad
Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish potato salad is a popular side dish in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Traditionally, before the harvest produced an abundance of vital vegetables, potato salad was enjoyed as a hearty and filling part of the diet for the Pennsylvania Germans. The recipes vary but tend to be simple. Potatoes are cooked in the skins until soft. There are then peeled and diced. The potatoes are then gently mixed with chopped onions, celery, celery seed, and celery salt. Hard-boiled eggs are also usually diced and added to the salad. What makes the Amish potato salad so distinctive is the thickening dressing favored by the Pennsylvania Germans. There tended to be a little bid more variety that went into the making of the dressing. However, in general, the Amish potato salad dressing tended to consist of a combination of eggs, cornstarch, vinegar, cream, mustard, and salt. This combination was cooked until it thickened. Then, the dressing is removed from the heat, butter is added, and the mixture is beaten until smooth. The dressing is then integrated with the potato mixture. Traditionally, during periods when the chickens weren't laying eggs, flour was substituted in the dressing. When fresh greens were out of season, cooked Amish potato salad served as both a supplement and complement to the family's diet.
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