Tasty Tuna Tater Salad

By Pat Morris
@AugustaPat

This is a meatless salad that I revised from my mother's creation when I was young. My brother's nephew ate at mother's one day and said, "I want some more Tuff." He always would say, "Gleason, makes good Tuff." We, lovingly started calling it Tuff, too! For those who do not eat meat on Friday's during Lent, or if you just want a meatless meal, give this a try. The preparation, as well as the ingredients, hide the taste of the tuna (I am not fond of the taste of tuna - even though it is good for you.) It is more like a potato salad with a protein addition. Enjoy!

Rating:

★★★★★ 3 votes

Comments:

16 Comments

Serves:

Makes 7-8 cups of Salad

Prep:

15 Min

Cook:

10 Min

Method:

Stove Top

Blue Ribbon Recipe

Notes from the Test Kitchen:
This is definitely not your traditional potato salad recipe, but it's delicious! By adding the Italian and ranch dressing to the warm potatoes, the potatoes really soak up a ton of flavor. Adding lemon to the tuna does really help take away some of the "fishy" taste. I really love the crunch you get from the veggies. This salad could be a simple meal on a hot summer evening. So good!

Ingredients

1 can(s): ( 5 ounce can) solid white albacore tuna (mom used flaked tuna - i like albacore), drained
3 c: (about 2 large) potatoes cubed, and cooked until fork tender, drain and put in a large bowl.
2: boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 c: onion, chopped (approximately 1 small onion)
1/2 c: celery, minced (2 stalks)
1/2 c: carrot coarsely minced (1 small carrot)
1/2 c: red bell pepper, chopped (about 1/4 bell pepper)
3 Tbsp: sweet relish (i use mt. olive sweet relish; of course mom made her own.)
1/2 c: lite buttermilk ranch dressing (put on drained potatoes while still hot – absorbs flavor better)
1 Tbsp: yellow mustard
2 Tbsp: creamy lite italian dressing (i use olive garden lite italian dressing –it isn’t real strong)
: salt and pepper, to taste.
: optional garnishes (makes it tasty, crunchy and pretty)**

How to Make Tasty Tuna Tater Salad

Step-by-Step

1Place drained, cooked and cubed potatoes in a large bowl.
2Put drained tuna in a small bowl with the 2 teaspoons of lemon juice; stir well and set aside while you add other ingredients to the potatoes. Adding lemon juice helps to get rid of the fishy taste of the tuna.
3Add the sweet relish, mustard, ranch and Italian dressings to potatoes while they are hot. Gently stir to coat the potatoes. Be careful, as they break up if handled roughly while hot.
4Add the tuna and boiled eggs to the potato mixture. Stir in the chopped and minced veggies -onion, celery, carrot and red bell pepper.

Add salt and pepper to taste.
5Mix well. Can serve at room temperature or cold. It is even better the next day or two, as the flavors meld in the refrigerator.
6Serve on a bed of lettuce with or without the optional garnishes. Enjoy!!
7***Optional Garnishes
• A sprinkling of shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Tri-color tortilla strips placed on top
• A couple of Capelle Tomatoes, cut in half and placed on the side of the plate (since tomatoes aren’t in season; these seem to have better, fresher taste than some you buy in the stores)