Additions: A Fishy Caper
Alliums are a popular addition to potato salads as Jane Grigson notes, this is not a ladylike dish: it should have a direct appeal, from the delicate earthiness that characterises good potatoes and the sweet fire of a good onion. I find her raw Spanish onion too much of a good thing however , and the same goes for Sarah Ravens thinly sliced red onion. Call me a wimp, but Signes spring onion and Simon and Lindseys chives suit my tastes far better, adding flavour without overpowering the other ingredients.
Constance Spry wisely observes that a good potato salad should be garnished with some sharp ingredient such as capers, sliced gherkin or sliced pickled walnuts to relieve the somewhat cloying taste of potatoes. Which you choose is largely up to you, but, never one to stint, Ive thrown in both capers and gherkins, inspired by Signes recipe, and , the anchovies suggested by Sarah Raven they just go so beautifully with potato. A good dollop of wholegrain mustard, as in Signes dressing, adds both texture and flavour to the mayonnaise, but Im leaving out the chopped hardboiled egg used in both the Riverford and Scandilicious recipes with mayonnaise as well, I find the whole thing too rich.
How To Roast Sweet Potatoes
Easy Potato Salad Recipe
Potato salad is a tasty side dish that is enjoyed year-round for all kinds of occasions! It is easy to whip up in a pinch and can be customized to suit all of your favorite tastes and flavors.
This recipe is a classic, but feel free to add in any of your favorite mix-ins! It is so tasty that you’ll be making it over and over again!
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Can I Make Potato Salad In Advance
Potato salad is best eaten within 8 hours of making. It is best to make potato salad the day youre going to eat it. It tastes great if the flavors have some chance to meld together, but all potato salads can turn watery if they sit too long.
If you want to make it in advance be sure to use red-skinned potatoes like this recipe calls for. Starchy potatoes or white potatoes dont hold up as well.
Also you can toss the hot cooked potatoes in the vinaigrette mixture, but then let them cool before adding the sour cream/mayo mixture. This will prevent the potato salad from becoming oily.
TIP: Toss the hot potatoes in the vinegar/sugar/seasoning mixture. But wait to fold in the sour cream/mayo mixture until the potatoes have fully cooled.
Frequently Asked Questions About Potato Salad:
How do I keep my potato salad from drying out?
As this cools the potatoes will continue to soak up the dressing. It’s just what potatoes do, they like to soak up whatever they are mixed with. So, if you notice your salad is just a little dry when you are ready to serve, add a little more milk or chicken stock and some mayonnaise and it will restore the creaminess of your potato salad.
Do I have to use mayonnaise?
For a classic potato salad, mayonnaise is required. You could use Miracle Whip but I do not like Miracle Whip at all so I would never use it personally. Want a “mayo-less” potato salad? Be sure to check out my recipe for German Potato Salad
Is it better to boil potatoes whole or cut up for potato salad?
It’s better to cut up potatoes before boiling them. They cook much faster when cut first. Also, you can leave the skin on the potatoes if you prefer.
Do you have to put eggs in potato salad?
Nope. You can leave them out if you prefer.
How do you make potato salad taste better?
Use chicken stock. It is my secret ingredient! Also, use fresh ingredients. Don’t use store-bought hard-boiled eggs unless you are confident of the fresh taste. Sometimes store-bought hard boiled eggs have a funky taste to them and they can really throw off the taste of your whole salad. To make your own, check out my how-to HERE.
How so I store leftovers?
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How To Make The Best Potato Salad Recipe
1) The key to making the best potato salad is to use starchy potatoes and let them get really soft, so they are partially mashed once mixed. This gives the recipe a rustic, yet thick and luxurious quality. I like to use Yukon Gold or Klondike Goldust potatoes. You can also use Russet potatoes if you like. Do not use new potatoes, because they hold their shape too well and will leave the dressing soupy.
Start the potatoes in cold water and bring them to a boil to ensure even cooking. Make sure to salt the boiling water so the salty flavor gets deep down in the potatoes.
Once the potatoes are soft, drain off the water and peel off the skins. You can leave some of the skins on if you like the added texture.
Chop the potatoes when they are soft this saves time on the peeling and chopping.
2) Next, mix all the dressing ingredients together. Use your favorite mayonnaise as the base.
I know better than to tell you what brand to useMayonnaise is an intensely personal condiment!
Here in the Carolinas, we use Dukes Mayonnaise, but mom usually uses Hellmanns. You can even go with Miracle Whip if that is your favorite.
Mix a large amount of sweet pickle relish into the dressing.
Use the good quality refrigerated relish that tastes fresh, has large chunks, and stays firm. Otherwise, the dense ultra-sweet shelved variety might overwhelm the flavor of the dressing.
If you cant find good relish, finely dice firm refrigerated sweet pickles instead.
The Rest Of The Ingredients
Now we have perfectly cooked and seasoned potatoes and a creamy dressing, its time to add some extra ingredients.
Potato salad is a personal process, and there are lots of opinions out there as to what makes it perfect or the best. The recipe below is our version it includes everything we love, but remember that its your potato salad, so add what you like!
Celery and Pickles The celery adds a lovely crunch and our house isnt stable without dill pickles in the refrigerator so adding them is a no-brainer for us. If you dont like pickles in potato salad leave them out .
Red Onion I love the sweetness and crunch of red onion in this. To make sure that the onion doesnt overpower the salad with raw onion flavor, I deflame the onions. Its a simple process, simply add cool water to chopped onion and set aside for 10 minutes. The time in the water takes the raw edge off the onion.
Hard-Boiled Eggs Maybe its how we were brought up or what were used to but, potato salad without eggs is missing something. Hard-boiled eggs add texture and extra creaminess.
Fresh Herbs The most common herbs are parsley and chives, but dill, cilantro, and tarragon all work well. In our recipe below, we use both dill and parsley. Experiment for yourself to see what you love. Add a tablespoon at a time then taste. Also, remember dill and tarragon are a little stronger than other herbs so add accordingly.
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Start With Cooked Potatoes
Perfect hash is golden brown with a crisp crunch, but the potatoes can be a hurdle if you don’t take care. All the other ingredients in the hash are fully cooked or quickly fried, but potatoes can end up burnt or with a weird crunch if poorly cooked. Your corned beef hash deserves the fluffy insides and the glorious crust of excellent fried potatoes. Getting there isn’t as hard as you think.
The easiest potatoes to use for a hash are leftovers. If you have leftover roasties or baked potatoes lurking in your fridge, chop them up and pan-fry with the other ingredients for a divine breakfast that will cook in minutes.
No leftovers? Never fear! Great hash is as easy as boiling water. Boil a small pot of water while you peel the potatoes and dice them into small pieces. You only need to parboil the potatoes for just a few minutes. Try fluffing potatoes by shaking drained potatoes in the pan, stirring them around, or following the trend on TikTok and let salt and baking soda fluff them for you .
Will I Get Sick If The Salad Sits Out
With major heat waves from coast to coast, you might be wondering if it’s OK to leave your potato salad sitting around at your outdoor picnic.
“I think it’s a misconception that you cannot serve a mayonnaise-based potato salad at a picnic because you may inadvertently kill a whole bunch of folks,” Harvey said. “I want to dispel that myth.”
Most store-bought mayonnaise is highly pasteurized, he said.
“In fact, most of the bacteria that you’re dealing with in a commercially based mayonnaise is no different than the bacteria you’d be dealing with in a commercially based oil.”
According to the health department, you’ve got about four hours from the time it comes out of the cooler to the time your guests can consume it safely, he said.
It’s important to completely cool potatoes and any other ingredients before mixing in the mayonnaise, however.
“And then you can just bring that potato salad to your events,” he said. “Everybody will eat most likely within four hours, and then you’re good. But anything past that point, you’re kind of on your own.”
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How To Keep Potato Salad From Getting Watery
There are a couple of reasons potato salad can become runny. Heres how to troubleshoot the problem.
How To Make Sweet Potato Salad
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Assemble Your Potato Salad
This potato salad is a classic side dish that pairs well with anything! Serve it alongside some pan seared picanha steaks and grilled acorn squash! Enjoy!
Potato Salad For A Crowd
What I love about potato salad is that it serves a lot of people without a lot of effort, and it’s so easy to make a good one.
I love using Yukon golds, though you can use any potato. My dad likes using russets in his potato salad. This recipe is for potato salad with sour cream – using it as a binder makes it extra creamy.
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What Type Of Potato Is Best For Potato Salad
We use white potatoes, or Yukon Golds, in our familys recipe. Because they have a thinner skin, theyre easy to peel after boiling and taste creamier, a little sweeter, and hold their shape well after cooking. Avoid using starchier potatoes like russets that too easily turn to mush in salads like this.
Also remember to choose potatoes of the same size for the most consistent cooking.
Substitution Variations And Cooking Tips
- Sweet potatoes can be replaced with roasted butternut squash.
- Greens. Pick your favorite greens for this salad: spinach, arugula, kale, or even broccoli!
- Nuts. You can use toasted pecans or walnuts in this recipe. Candied nuts would work great too. Or, skip the nuts and use toasted pumpkin seeds only.
- Pumpkin seeds taste amazing in this salad. You can skip them since the salad also has pecans. You can also use sunflower seeds.
- Dried fruit. You can use dried cranberries, blueberries, figs, or cherries.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. The parchment paper minimized the cleanup.
- Avoid overcrowding when roasting. When adding cubed sweet potatoes to the parchment-lined baking sheet, avoid overcrowding. Keeping the cubes separate will ensure they get crispy and crunchy instead of steaming.
- Use time efficiently. While the sweet potatoes are roasted in the oven, make the salad dressing and assemble the rest of the salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Serve it hot or cold? Serve sweet potato salad warm or at room temperature .
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Best Ever Potato Salad Recipe
This BEST EVER Potato Salad recipe from grandma is easy, creamy, loaded with bacon, and a secret ingredient in the dressing puts it over the top! It converted me from being a potato salad hater to a potato salad lover! Please dont go through the entire summer without making this at least once!
Potato salad falls into the same camp for me as egg salad. Its a mayonnaise-based salad that I long disliked because of how over the top mayonnaise-y it typically is. Until this recipe. It was a life changing experience and I neeeeeed to share it with you.
This recipe comes from a friends grandmother and on the recipe card she gave me it is titled Best Ever Potato Salad. A bold statement and one that always gives me pause, but it is absolutely, 100% warranted in this case. First of all, I tend to trust old-school family recipes over others second, the grandma was confident enough to call it the best, and lastly, it has a secret ingredient that takes it over the top. So I am totally comfortable in telling you that it is, indeed, the best ever.
How To Make Potato Salad
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The Best Potato Salad Ever
This unique and delicious potato salad from Monifa Dayo is addictive and the perfect contribution to any gathering with loved ones. Yukon gold potatoes introduce a rich texture while the aioli provides velvety creaminess. Tangy yogurt paired with vinegar gives a burst of umami and delicately poached eggs brings sophistication to the entire dish. GET THE RECIPE https://f52.co/3wGCTjy
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PREP TIME: 15 minutes
4 shallots, peeled and finely diced1/2 cup apple cider vinegarKosher salt4 pounds medium Yukon Gold potatoes, quarteredExtra-virgin olive oil, for drizzlingFreshly ground black pepper, to taste1 pint full-fat yogurt 1 cup aioli 1 cup capers, drained1 bunch parsley leaves, coarsely chopped1 bunch cilantro leaves and stems, coarsely chopped8 large eggsFlaky salt or fleur de sel, for garnish1 handful tarragon, leaves picked but not chopped, for garnish1 handful dill, leaves picked but not chopped, for garnishFresh coriander seeds, for sprinkling
Adapted lightly and excerpted with permission from Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora, edited by Bryant Terry
How To Make Red Potato Salad
- Bring a large pot of cold water to boil. Generously salt the boiling water and add the cut red potatoes. Boil until you have tender potatoes checking every couple minutes towards the end of cooking. Drain the waxy potatoes.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the white wine vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar. Pour the warm potatoes into the vinegar mixture and gently mix with a rubber spatula to combine.
- Whisk together the mayonnaise and sour cream. Pour over the potatoes and gently fold in.
- Add the hard boiled eggs and other remaining ingredients. Gently stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours. Enjoy!
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