This is the second installment of our “What the Heck am I Supposed to Do with All This Leftover Ham” series.
Off the top of my head, I can’t think of anybody who doesn’t like some form of potato salad. My Nana made the best potato salad ever. I won’t divulge her secret ingredient here, you probably don’t have it in your pantry, anyway. I will tell you this, though: Nana’s potato salad has a little tang and a hint of sweet, and that’s what makes it so good. I try to remember that, no matter what kind of potato salad I’m making.
This tasty potato salad hits all the right flavor notes, plus it helps to use up leftover ham. You can serve Creole Potato Salad without the ham in it if you must. But if you’re craving Creole Potato Salad with Ham, and you don’t have any leftover ham on hand, ask for ½” slice or two at the grocery store deli, and cube it up when you get home. Use any deli ham you like.
So, does it matter at all what sort of leftover ham you use? No! Any leftover ham is fair game. A lot of people I know are absolutely devoted to HoneyBaked® ham, while most of my family prefers a ham that’s a little more smoky and a little less sweet. That’s an entirely personal preference. I’ve made Creole Potato salad with both, and I don’t think the difference is big enough to worry about.
By the same token, you can alter this recipe to suit your kitchen and your people. Are you appalled that I left the skins on the potatoes in the photos? Peel your potatoes. No Creole mustard? Use any grainy mustard, or spicy brown mustard, or even Dijon in a pinch. No Creole or Cajun seasoning? Use the Cajun seasoning in this recipe: Cajun Chicken Pasta. (Save any extra seasoning in a small jar for later.) You don’t keep liquid crab boil around? Skip it this time and mend your ways ASAP.
What if you don’t want ham in your Creole Potato Salad, but you like the idea of meat in it? Well, you could certainly use bacon. You could use thin slices of grilled smoked sausage. I’d use Conecuh, of course. You could even use–wait for it–boiled or roasted shrimp. Don’t knock it until you try it! And I guess some of our Louisiana friends would swap out the shrimp for crawfish. (I can’t take any responsibility for that.)
Enjoy!
Creole Potato Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 2½ lbs. Yukon Gold or similar potatoes
- 2 hard boiled eggs, mashed with a fork
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup chopped ham
Dressing
- ¼ cup mayo
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 2-3 T. creole mustard, or to taste
- ¼ t. liquid crab boil such as Zatarain's
- 3 T. pickle relish, sweet or dill
- 1 2 oz. jar diced pimentos, undrained
- 1 t. smoked paprika
- 1 t. Cajun or Creole seasoning, or to taste
- ½ t. each salt and pepper, or to taste
- a dash of honey, optional
- More paprika, chopped scallions, or chopped parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Cook potatoes in lightly salted water until a paring knife with pass all the way through easily. Drain. You'll assemble the salad while the potatoes are still warm.
- While the potatoes cook stir the dressing ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Potatoes are bland, so the dressing should be highly seasoned.
- Combine the potatoes, celery, scallions and ham. Add the dressing and toss well. Top with paprika, parsley, and/or scallions if you like. Serve chilled.
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