If you’ve never had a real Hawaiian plate lunch, here’s what you’re missing: two scoops of white rice, something delicious and saucy (think teriyaki chicken or kalua pork), and a big, cold scoop of macaroni salad that is well coated in mayo. That’s the holy trinity. But here’s one thing that sets that mac salad apart – the macaroni salad usually isn’t just macaroni. More often than not, it’s potato and macaroni, all tangled up together in the same creamy, tangy dressing. Two carbs, one bowl, zero apologies. The first time I came across it, I thought, surely that’s too much starch. Reader, it is not too much starch. It is exactly the right amount of starch. And comfort.

This recipe is our ideal version of that plate lunch classic: soft potatoes, tender macaroni, sweet shredded carrot and onion, all coated in a mayo-relish dressing that gets better the longer it sits. It’s humble. It’s a little unusual if you didn’t grow up with it. And it might just be one of the best make-ahead sides you’ll ever bring to a potluck.

What Ingredients Do You Need for Plate Lunch Potato Mac Salad?

Here’s what you’ll need :

• Russet potatoes. The perfect starch level to almost melt into the dressing.
• Macaroni!
• A sweet onion.
• Carrot.
• Mayonnaise. A lot of it.
• Sweet pickle relish. (It brings the tang and a touch of sweetness.)
• Apple cider vinegar.

That’s it! No fancy ingredients, no hard-to-find items, just simple pantry staples that come together into something so much greater than the sum of their parts.

How Do You Make Plate Lunch Potato Mac Salad?

It’s as simple to make as any other potato or pasta salad and it gets even better if you make it a bit ahead. Here’s how it goes:

You start by boiling your potatoes in a big pot of water. After about five minutes, in goes the macaroni, right into the same pot, no need to dirty a second pan. (I love a recipe that saves on dishes.) While that’s cooking, you whisk together your dressing: the mayo, relish, vinegar, salt, and pepper in the same big bowl you’ll use to serve the salad. Go ahead and stir in your shredded carrot and onion so they can start mingling with the dressing.

Once the potatoes are tender and the pasta is al dente, drain everything well and dump it right into the bowl with the dressing. Give it all a good toss, taste it, and adjust the seasoning if it needs it. It’s fine to put it in warm, that actually helps it absorb some of the dressing and flavor.

Here’s the part that takes real willpower: you have to let it chill. Ideally overnight, if you can stand the wait. The dressing needs time to soak into the potatoes and pasta, and that’s when this salad really comes into its own. The wait is always worth it!