Trail Potato Salad
Potato flakes, dried peas, and a mustard-dill dressing built from powder. A cold side that needs no cooler.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 4 oz
- cal / oz
- 130
- protein
- 13 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 5 min
- total time
- 10 min
- water
- 400 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Canoe / raft
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dehydrated diced potatoes | 1 cup | hash brown dice, not flakes; they hold their shape |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried peas | 1/3 cup | |
| Powdered egg | 2 tbsp | scrambles into the salad and carries the protein |
| Mayonnaise packets | 1/4 cup | shelf-stable single-serve, the kind from a deli counter |
| Dijon mustard packet | 1 tbsp | a splash of vinegar works if you have none |
| Onion powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried dill weed | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt | to taste |
Method
- Put the diced potatoes and peas in the pot and add about 400 ml of boiling water, just enough to cover.
- Lid on, off the heat, ten minutes. The potatoes should bend without snapping.
- Drain off whatever water is left. Do not skip this or the dressing will slide right off.
- In a mug or a bag, whisk the powdered egg with 2 tbsp cold water, then cook it in a lightly oiled pot for a minute until it sets. Chop it up.
- Stir the mayo, mustard, onion powder, dill, and salt together, then fold everything into the potatoes.
- Let it sit until it cools to air temperature. It is better cold than warm.
Potato salad is a cooler dish, so this version rebuilds it out of dry parts. Dehydrated potato dice rehydrate into something with actual texture instead of mush, which is why they beat instant flakes here. Freeze-dried peas come back in the same soak. Powdered egg is optional but it is where most of the protein lives.
Draining matters more than anything else in the method. Rehydrated potatoes hold a lot of surface water, and mayo thinned by it turns into a grey puddle in the bottom of the pot. Pour the water off, let the potatoes steam dry a minute, then dress them. Cooling is worth the wait: warm mayo tastes like nothing.
Packing
Potatoes, peas, onion powder, and dill go in one bag. Powdered egg in its own small bag so it stays dry. Mayo and mustard packets ride in a side pocket; they leak eventually, so keep them out of the food bag.
Variations
- Skip the egg entirely and it stays a fine side dish, just lighter on protein.
- A foil packet of tuna turns it into a full lunch.
- Olive oil and a splash of vinegar instead of mayo if you would rather not carry packets.
https://mealswithmaria.site/easy-potato-salad-recipe