Kids Love It! Potato Salad

Here is my world famous (okay, my home famous) potato salad that is the absolute bestest, most favoritest, most gobbledededed up salad in our home by our children. Now, I have some other salads that come a close second, like my Tropical Seitan Pasta Salad, but this one takes the cake, er, kid-fork. I think why it goes over so well is its simplicity. The higher the number of ingredients in a dish, the higher the likelihood that my children will turn up their noses at it. Plus, I have one outright potato addict - thank you, S.R. Anyhow, I made this for the Fourth of July, and I will list our menu below. Also, just a tip from my mom - yes, I still get cooking tips from my mom: In the past when I drained the potatoes in a colander, they inevitably got mushy. And then they got even mushier when I added the ingredients and stirred together. Mushy potato salad really doesn't cut it, even when you're a kid who likes it. So, my mom suggested I put a lid on the pot, leaving a slight crack, like I do when I drain green beans or such. Then, just drain the water into the sink, leaving the potatoes in the pot. Once drained, let them completely cool on a cookie sheet. I tried this a couple of potato salads ago, and it worked perfectly, so I highly suggest that method. Also, the quantity of this recipe is enormous, but with my kids, it is gone in a couple of days, if it even survives the "taste testing." How come they never seem to know on the first or second or tenth taste, if the salad is right? Hmm. Anyways, onward with the menu and the show!

Fourth of July menu with my parents:

Chips and Salsa
Burgers with all the fixin's
Kids Love It! Potato Salad
Three Bean Salad from my mom
Pasta Salad from my mom
Relish tray from my mom

Dessert:

Soft Ginger Cookies (recipe on next post)
Homemade Strawberry Soy Ice Cream from my mom!

Kids Love It! Potato Salad with a pickle friend.

Boiled potatoes cooling on a cookie sheet.

Kids Love It! Potato Salad
Ingredients:

8 lb. bag of russet potatoes (or approx. 15)
Water to cover
1 and 1/2 cup chopped baby dill pickles (quartered lengthwise and then chopped)
1 cup of McCormick's Bac'n Pieces, Chips style - UPDATE: I now use SmartBacon fried and chopped, instead, to avoid the artificial colors
2 and 1/2 cups of Vegenaise
1 and 1/4 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Peel the potatoes, and cut them into bite-sized chunks. Put in a large pot with water enough to cover the potatoes at least an inch. Bring to a boil. Continue boiling for eight to ten minutes, or until the chunks are fork tender. Drain water out of pot into sink, carefully holding a lid about 90 percent in place. Be very careful not to get a steam or hot water burn. Spread the potatoes on a cookie sheet, and let cool completely. When the potatoes are cool, add them and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Sometimes I will put everything in the boiling pot instead of a bowl to do my mixing, so I can be sure that nothing will fall out of the bowl. This also ensures that your serving bowl won't be super messy. Once all the ingredients are in the bowl/pot, gently stir them together. If you've got kids around, count your fingers if they were near the salad while the kids were taste-testing! Feeds five hungry vegans, plus a couple of grandparents.