Mom’s Potato Salad

“Nobody makes potato salad like your Mother,” Dad would say and I have to agree. Since she’s gone, I can give only general directions on how to do it. Leslee’s version comes the closest to Mom’s, but even she doesn’t follow a specific recipe.

Potatoes—a lot, at least 5 pounds (none of those fancy, red-skinned potatoes)

Boil with the skins on; cut in half if they’re large, don’t forget to salt the water while potatoes are cooking, boil about 6 eggs.

Drain potatoes and eggs and while they cool, chop celery—about three stalks.

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them and cut into bite-sized pieces (with a paring knife and into a big bowl).

Peel and chop 5 eggs, reserve one of them for the top.

Add chopped celery and a small onion which you grate on top of the potatoes (be careful not to grate your knuckles too).

Grate about a half a cucumber (Mom said grating it kept it from repeating on you).

Then add enough mayonnaise to make it creamy, but not too wet.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Just before serving, taste for saltiness—add more salt if necessary—and dryness. You may have to add more mayonnaise.

Decorate the top with the remaining egg: remove the yolk and chop it finely, cut the white to look like petals. Place the yolk in the center, with the egg white petals around it to look like a flower. Sprinkle with paprika.