A Summer Staple: Potato Salad

Why is it that we always like our mom's potato salad the best? More so than any other dish that I can think of, there seems to be a consensus that for this summer staple, mom's version is the one to which all others are measured.

I have not done any scientific research on this, of course, but every summer I seem to hear the refrain, "this is almost as good as my mom's." How often do you hear that said about baked beans? Maybe because most moms pop open a can for that!

I think the magic is in the dressing. Any dish that requires "from scratch" dressing seems to take on a special quality from the chef. (Even if that dressing is simply a combination of Hellmann's mayo and Catalina salad dressing.)

I once asked my mom to share her recipe for potato salad and this is what I got...

boil potatoes, peel, chop
4-5 hard boiled eggs
green onions (2 bunches)
celery seed (1 1/2 tsp.)

dressing: Hellmann's mayo mixed with Catalina. (approx. 1/2 c. mayo and 1/4 c. red dressing)

My response: that's it? There is no special, magic ingredient? No. Sometimes simpler is better.