Eggcellent Potato Salad

This recipe is not exact, but I wanted to include at least a general idea about how I make my potato salad.

This last time I made it, I did a 3 egg to potato ratio, they were medium/small sized potatoes. I'll write the recipe like the last time I made it, even though I wished I made more because the bowl was empty too fast.
 I am writing amounts, but I usually just guesstimate, so they are more of a general idea than exact measures.
8 medium potatoes (this time I used red, but any will do)
24 eggs
Onion powder 2-3 tbsp(I sometimes chop an onion tiny and put it in  (approx 1/4 cup for this amount)
Miracle whip (about 2 cups for this amount, it isn't too hard to estimate, just make sure it looks moist enough)
Mustard, about 3 tablespoons (I usually add mustard a little at a time.  It is a necessary flavor, but it can be overpowering if you pu too much)
Pepper and salt, just sprinkle into to salad while you stir, to taste
Paprika (sprinkled over the top of the salad

Okay first, the key in my opinion to good potato salad is high egg to potato ratio. I always do AT LEAST two eggs per potato, and that is for small potatoes.  I don't think you can have too much egg, I like to do 3 to one.


So first things first...You need to cook your eggs and potatoes.  Potato salad improves over time.  If you want to make it the day before, that is great.  I of course am never organized enough to do that, but you want at least an hour for the flavors to mix; and to rehydrate the onion powder so it loses its weird flavor.  And of course you need to have time to cool your potatoes and eggs. I assume this is general knowledge, but just in case, it improves over time in the fridge...It has to be in the fridge as much as possible and stay cold because of the miracle whip and eggs :). So whenever you are not directly working with it, put it back in the fridge! :)
I boil my potatoes with the skin on.  So scrub them and throw them in a pan making sure they completely covered in water. *one important step*  Make sure you thoroughly salt the water.  Your potato salad will be bland if you do not cook your potatoes with salt, no matter how much you salt it after.  I usually pour enough over them that you can see a thin layer on the potatoes.  Then I cook them till they are thoroughly done.  In fact, I have left potatoes till they are VERY done before.  Actually, I aim for that, they are a great texture in the salad, and there is nothing worse than under done potatoes.  Then, before you do anything else, you have to get them completely cold.  This step makes your potatoes more solid and easier to work with.  I drain off the hot water, run them under cold water to cool them off, then put them in the fridge.  If you try to cut them up when they are warm, especially if they are cooked a lot they will become mashed potatoes.  But I have never had a batch turn to mashed potatoes when cold.  And I have tested this theory a lot, being the huge scatter brain that I am.  I forgot about some once and they boiled for well over an hour! By the way, if you are a beginner cook, here is a quick potato tute: get your potatoes to a boil, then turn them down so they can just simmer.  If left too high, they spatter water all over the stove.  Either put a lid on, or add water if it lowers and uncovers your potatoes.  The parts outside the water will not cook.   You have to keep the heat high enough so it is still bubbling a little.  It usually takes about 40 minutes, but you can tell if they are done by sticking a fork in them.  If  you can easily stick a fork clear to the center of the largest potato, they are done.
While you are cooking your potatoes, you can cook your eggs on another unit.  You fill a large pan leaving at least an inch of space over your eggs.  Then you fill pan with water to at least an inch over your eggs.  Get it to a good rolling boil, then put on a lid and turn off the heat.  Leave them for 15 minutes or so.  Then cool them with tap water and put them in the fridge.
When  your eggs are cold, peel them and cut them into your salad bowl.  I usually cut each egg into eight pieces.  After your eggs are all in your salad, put in miracle whip, mustard, and onion powder.  Make sure you don't add too much, you can always add more, but it's more difficult to fix with too much.  Then I stir my eggs really thoroughly into the sauce.  It is important that you break up your yolks and mix them into the sauce.  It makes it so much better!  Like egg salad, or deviled eggs.  I stir it till I can't see any more yolks.  (Admittedly, there are times that I skip this step and stir eggs and potatoes together all at once.  You have to stir a little more gently when you have the potatoes in there, but I still try and incorporate as much yolk as possible into the sauce.)
Cut the potatoes to the size you like them and add them to the salad, then sprinkle salt and pepper over them and stir them all in.  If the salad looks to dry, add a little miracle whip, and mustard.  Finally you have to fine tune the flavor.  The main flavor players that you can add at the end are salt, pepper, onion, and mustard.  If it tastes wrong, you have to just analyze the flavor to decide which ones it needs.  I make sure I can taste the onion, even though it will taste weird until you leave it for a while to blend and rehydrate.  If it is bland, I add some salt or pepper.  If it tastes too miracle whippy (is that a word?), I add a little mustard.  Then I leave it for a while and try it again to make sure it tastes good all blended together.  When it is all done, I smooth out the top, and use a paper towel to wipe away any sauce around the top above the salad.  Then I sprinkle paprika over the top, and it's ready to serve.  I'm usually to lazy to put the pretty slices of egg over the top, but that is definitely an option. :)
I usually make this for big gatherings, and I rarely go home with any :).