Potato Salad

Name: Potato Salad
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Soul Food
Ingredients: Waxy potatoes; 12 eggs; Mayonnaise; Fat-free Greek yoghurt; Celery; Prepared mustard; Vinegar; Salt; Black pepper; Paprika

414 kcal a serving, against 570 for the traditional version. That is 156 kcal off, or 27%, with 15.6g of protein. Serves 8. 45 minutes (plus cooling).

What the traditional version is

Classic southern potato salad starts with waxy potatoes, peeled and chopped, boiled until just tender. They're cooled, then tossed with hard-boiled eggs, celery, and mountains of full-fat mayonnaise, plus a whiff of mustard and pepper. Sometimes there's a splash of vinegar and a dusting of paprika on top for the show. In the old-school version, you might see a ratio of about 2 parts potato to 1 part mayonnaise. No one ever asks about the calories.

What changed, and what each change costs

Halving the mayonnaise and replacing it with fat-free Greek yoghurt

Mayonnaise is where the calories and richness set up shop. Fat-free Greek yoghurt has next to no fat, a good punch of protein, and brings tang instead of pure silk.

What it costs you. Creaminess takes a definite dive here. Real mayo is lush and rounded; yoghurt brings sharpness and lightness, so the salad feels fresher but not as plush.

Upping the eggs from 8 to 12 for extra protein

If you want to turn a side into something with actual nutritional backbone, eggs are the obvious move. They slot in easily, bump the protein, and fit the original dish.

What it costs you. More chopped egg means the salad gets a bit firmer and chunkier. If you like hunting for the egg, you'll have less of a challenge.

Doubling the celery for extra crunch and bulk

With less mayo, you risk a heavy, wet potato, so I double the celery for snap, flavour, and a sense you've eaten something green today.

What it costs you. Purists may grumble about all the 'vegetables', but they'll live. The extra crunch is worth it.

A little less potato to make room for more egg while keeping the ratio sensible

The aim isn't to turn potato salad into egg salad, but making space for the extra egg keeps the texture balanced and the portion size sensible.

What it costs you. No one will notice unless they're counting cubes. The potato is still in charge.

What goes in it

The ingredients, without the quantities. The weights are what the figures below are computed from, and they are in the book.

Waxy potatoes
12 eggs
Mayonnaise
Fat-free Greek yoghurt
Celery
Prepared mustard
Vinegar
Salt
Black pepper
Paprika

How it starts

Peel and chop the potatoes into bite-sized pieces.
Drop them into a pan of cold, salted water.
While the potatoes cook, put all the eggs into boiling water.

The rest of the method, and every weight, is in Authentic-ish Soul Food.

The numbers

Per serving	Traditional	Lightened
Calories	570	414
Protein	11.1g	15.6g
Fat	42.5g	26.2g
Saturated fat	7.5g	5.4g
Carbohydrate	36.5g	29g
Protein per 100 kcal	1.9g	3.8g

Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Soul Food prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked. How every number is computed sets out the method.

Allergens. celery, eggs, milk, mustard, sulphites.

The method is in the book

The trade-up is obvious: less silk, more bite, and twice as friendly on the waistband. The first forkful is the second best version of potato salad you'll eat, but I can actually recommend this one for lunch without crossing my fingers. If you're after the feel of eating straight mayonnaise by the spoonful, you'll be disappointed. If you want a proper picnic salad that won't haunt you for the rest of the afternoon, this is the answer.

The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Soul Food, along with 50 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.