Midnight Diner Potato Salad {Japanese Potato Salad}

Ingredient Notes

Here's what you need for this Midnight Diner Potato Salad:

• Large Potatoes - You can use almost any potato like red, gold, white, or even russet.
• Yellow Onions - Yellow onions are sweeter and milder in flavor and a great complement to potatoes. Slice them thinly or grate them on a box grater.
• Carrots - Thinly sliced carrots are added to the salad. If the carrots are large you might want to halve are quarter the slices as shown in the series.
• Cooked Ham - Just like in the episode, I cut cooked, thin sliced ham into small 1" squares. You can use either honey ham or smoked ham.
• Sweet Pickle Chips - I like the texture and flavor of bread and butter pickles, which work well with the salty ham. The Midnight Diner uses what could be sliced cucumber, but a pickled cucumber is more likely. Try my asian style quick pickled cucumber and omit the lemon for a more authentic flavor.

And for the Japanese Mayonaise:

• Miracle Whip Salad Dressing - Miracle Whip has a sweeter flavor and lighter texture than mayo and works well as a substitute for Japanese mayonnaise when sugar and rice wine vinegar are added to boost the flavor to sweet-sour.
• White Granulated Sugar - A bit of sweetness helps offset the vinegar.
• Rice Vinegar - I've used both seasoned and regular rice vinegar. Both are delicious.

Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.

How to This Make Midnight Diner Potato Salad

Cook the Potatoes. Scrub the potatoes well. Remove a thin strip of the peel and place them in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender.

Drain the potatoes and while they are still hot peel them by rubbing the potato skin off with a clean kitchen towel. Place the peeled potatoes into a large bowl.

Add the Onion. While the potatoes are still hot, break them up roughly with a large fork or wooden spoon leaving large chunks. Fold in the sliced onions. The heat of the hot potatoes will soften the onions. Allow the potatoes and onions to cool completely.

Make the Japanese Mayonnaise. While the potatoes cool, in a medium bowl whisk together Miracle Whip salad dressing, white sugar, and the rice vinegar.

Fold in Remaining Ingredients. Gently fold in the carrots, ham, and sweet pickle chips. After everything is well distributed through the salad add the Japanese mayonnaise.

Chill Well. For the best-tasting potato salad, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer the salad to an airtight container and refrigerate until the salad is well chilled. Serve and Enjoy!