I will pimento cheese-ify anything. I literally wrote the book on pimento cheese (seriously, Pimento Cheese The Cookbook). Even after developing all those recipes, I never stop creating delicious dishes inspired by the classic flavors of pimento cheese. And for weekend grill-outs or picnics, I turned potato salad into a symphony of pimento cheese. I mean, who doesn’t love potatoes with plenty of cheese? Add a tangy, creamy dressing and perfect pops of pimento and you’ve got something really special.
Cooking potatoes with vinegar, then adding a dash to them while warm, is my best trick for getting flavorful, seasoned potatoes without pouring on a ton of salt. This way the potatoes have flavor throughout, not just boring chunks covered in dressing. But this dressing is tangy with the punch of mustard and paprika, with just a hint of smoke from the smoked paprika. You could add some crispy bacon to this if you really want it to go over the top.
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds red potatoes
¼ cup plus 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Salt
6 green onions
6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimentos, rinsed and drained
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Kosher salt and black pepper
Directions
- Quarter the potatoes and place in a large pot and cover by 2 inches of water. Stir in 2 Tablespoons of vinegar and lots of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until a knife easily slips into a piece of potato, about 15 minutes from boiling. Drain in a large colander, then return to the pot and sprinkle over 1 Tablespoon of vinegar and stir gently to distribute. Leave to cool completely.
- Finely chop the green onions and add to the potatoes. Grate the cheese on the largest holes of a box grater and add to the pot, then add the pimentos. Gently stir to distribute evenly.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, 1 Tablespoon vinegar, mustard, paprika, a teaspoon of salt, garlic powder and smoked paprika and generous grinds of black pepper. Whisk until smooth, then pour over the potatoes and stir gently to coat each potato with dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours, but overnight is fine.
- Serve sprinkled with a little paprika, some extra grate cheese and snipped green onion tops.
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