Also, I think that the potatoes need to be cooked more rather than less. Let the crunch come from the celery and sweet relish. And please, for the love of God, use *real* mayo, not the low-fat, no-fat, canola crap.

I so agree!!! Every year we have a barbecue. I've stopped asking guests to bring a dish, as they invariably bring something barely edible picked up from the grocery deli on the way over, the worst offender being the mushy, overly-sweet, tubbed excuse for potato salad. Sure, they still bring things, but I always make sure there is plenty of homemade potato salad! Thanks, Mr. Keillor. This needed to be said out loud.

When you boil the potatoes, boil them in their jackets. Makes a huge difference in flavor down the line.

Yes, DILL. Potatoes have never had a better friend.

I had an urge to make homemade potato salad for the holiday, thanks for explaining why, Garrison!

And check the expiration date on that take out stuff. Some is good for more than a month! Month-old potato salad-yummy.

that no right thinking person adds pimento, ever, to potato salad. Only companies, faceless agri-business conglomerates, add pimento, because they think the yellow glop spoken of so eloquently here needs color. Paprika is really the only allowable colorant.

makes the best potato salad in the world. It is in the classic style, unapologetic, never too juicy, and as a twist, she chops in a few black olives. My potato salad is pretty good, but somehow it never quite hits the spot like Dottie's (does she use more eggs? different brand of mayo? less pepper? I'm baffled). If you're an Oregonian, which I am, another mouth-watering option is to make a standard dill-pickle infused potato salad, then add a pound (and no less) of Dungeness crab. Oh, yummy.

Thanks, Garrison. Happy Fourth to you.

If you really want to add an interesting crunch to your salad, do what my mom would do: add fresh, diced red delicious apples and bits of sweet pickles. My mouth is watering at the memory!

Mom & Dad's potato salad -- made the evening before the barbeque with chopped celery and green peppers (not chives), topped with round slices of hard-boiled eggs and sprinkles of paprika. Perfect with anything off the grill.

And Grandma's dill pickles -- she grew everything to make them in her garden, including the dill, the scent of which always reminds me of summer evenings. No garlic in them at all. She gave each of her children a five gallon glass jar of them each year.

I still make the potato salad, never tried the pickles.