Jim's Favorite Potato Salad Recipes
Potato salad is the picnic food. Oh, sure, it shares the spotlight with egg salad from time to time, occasionally lets baked beans or fresh vegetables take its place, but by dinnertime if there’s no serving bowl filled with cool, delicious just-one-more-bite-worthy potato salad, heads will roll.
That’s why I’m recommending my favorite potato salad recipes on Recipe4Living. Because nobody wants heads to roll—it’d kinda ruin the picnic atmosphere. So without further ado, here are the best potato salad recipes the site has to offer!
A hearty potato salad with lean bacon, vinegar, and a touch of sweet.
Ingredients
2 lbs. medium potatoes
8 slices lean bacon
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 C. vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 Tbs. sugar
3 beef bouillon cubes
1 C. water
Directions
Cook potatoes in plenty of salted water until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and let stand a few minutes until you can peel them. Cut potatoes into cubes. Fry bacon until crisp. Sauté the chopped onions in the bacon grease. Add the vinegar, salt pepper and dissolved bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil. Add the potatoes. If you need more liquid, add water or more dissolved beef bouillon cubes. Simmer to desired consistency.
This special recipe is light because instead of mayo substitute with pickle juice, olive oil and lemon juice.
Ingredients
10 whole small potatoes, sliced
1 whole egg, boiled
2 stalks celery, diced small
1 whole pickle, diced fine (About 1/2 - 3/4 C if using pre-sliced)
3 Tbs. pickle juice/brine (adjust to taste)
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp. dried onion, minced (or 1/4 C. fresh sweet onion)
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, minced
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbs. lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon’s worth.)
Directions
Clean and slice (or cube) potatoes, leaving skins on. Boil in a large pot of water until tender but not mushy, about 10 – 12 minutes. (Time may vary according to size of slices/cubes and type of potato.) Meanwhile finely dice celery, parsley, and pickle. Mix in large bowl with pickle juice, olive oil, garlic, onion, pepper and lemon juice. Peel, then dice boiled egg. Mix in bowl with other ingredients. Drain and rinse cooked potatoes, allow cooling slightly. Add potatoes to bowl and stir well. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Southwestern Potato Salad
This red-potato salad gets its kick from pimiento, bell pepper, and of course chili powder.
Ingredients
3 lbs. red potatoes, boiled and diced into 1-inch cubes
1 tsp. minced garlic
8 oz. diced pimiento
2 medium tomatoes, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 bunch cilantro, chopped coarsely
6 celery ribs, sliced thin
1 bell pepper, chopped fine
1 C. fat-free Italian dressing
2 Tbs. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
Salt to taste
Directions
Combine all of the above ingredients. Toss gently until contents are coated. Chill for at least 1 hour. Serves 10.
Potatoes marinate overnight for intense flavor.
Ingredients
4-5 medium red potatoes
3-4 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1/3 C. diced red onion
1/3 C. mayo
2/3 C. sour cream
2-3 Tbs. dill weed
1 Tbs. parsley
Directions
Boil potatoes for about 15 minutes, until tender but firm. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Remove skins (easily done by rubbing with a tea towel) and slice (egg slicer makes this easy) or chop into large chunks. Put potatoes in a large Ziplock bag and add red wine vinegar. Allow to sit in fridge overnight. In a large bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, red onion, dill, and parsley. Mix well. Add salt if you want it. Add potatoes and mix gently. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before enjoying.
Wolfgang Puck's New Jersey-Style Potato Salad
The most important secret for success with both potato salad and cole slaw is to season them very well. Remember that both salads are served well chilled, and cold temperatures tend to mute flavors.
For potato salads, I recommend using waxy varieties such as small russets or fingerling potatoes. They hold their shape well when cooked, so your salad won’t turn into mashed potatoes with mayonnaise. Click here for Wolfgang Puck's full introduction.
Ingredients
2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes
3 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
1/2 C. mayonnaise
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Sugar
Directions
Put the potatoes in a pot of cold salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Continue boiling until the potatoes are tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a small, sharp knife, 10 to 20 minutes depending on size. Drain the potatoes and let them cool to room temperature.
With a sharp knife, cut the potatoes into bite-sized halves or quarters, depending on their size. In a mixing bowl, combine them with the eggs, mayonnaise, onion, and celery. With a spatula, gently fold the mixture together, taking care not to break up the potatoes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a little sugar. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
Yield: 6-8 servings
Potato Salad with Curried Mayo
This salad can be made up to a day ahead.
Ingredients
2 3/4 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, halved if large
2 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 bunch spring onions
1 Tbs. peanut oil or sunflower oil
1 tsp. black mustard seeds, plus extra to serve
1 Tbs. madras curry paste
7 oz. low-fat plain yogurt
4 Tbs. mayonnaise
4 sticks celery, thickly sliced
Directions
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil then add the potatoes. Return to the boil and cook for 15 minutes. The potatoes should be just tender to the point of a knife. Drain in a colander and cool for 5-10 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, trim the roots from the spring onions then slice the white bulb ends. Reserve the green stems. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan, add the mustard seeds and cook until they start to jump and pop. Add the chopped spring onion and curry paste. Cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes.
Tip the mixture into a large bowl then stir in the yogurt and mayonnaise with plenty of salt and ground black pepper.
Chop all but two of the green spring onion stems and add to the dressing along with the potatoes and celery and carefully fold everything together until evenly coated. Gently fold in the hard boiled eggs if using. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill until ready to eat. Reserve the remaining spring onion stems in water.
To Serve: Remove the salad from the fridge a good hour before serving so they return to room temperature. If the consistency of the dressing looks a little thick, thin it with a splash of milk or water. Pile the salad into a serving bowl. Cut the reserved spring onion stems into long shreds and scatter them over the salad along with a few mustard seeds.
Serving Size
8
French Potato Salad With Savory Vinagrette
This potato salad doesn't contain mayonnaise; instead, the potatoes are tossed with an herb-seasoned vinaigrette. It's not the potato salad that Mom used to make.
Ingredients
Salad:
1 bay leaf
2 Tbs. chopped onion
½ tsp. black pepper
1 ½ lb. new potatoes (about 12), cut into 1-inch cubes or ½-inch-thick slices
Savory Vinaigrette:
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs. fresh summer savory, or 1 tsp. dried summer savory ½ tsp. freshly ground pepper ¼ tsp. powdered mustard Halved cherry tomatoes for garnish
Directions
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the bay leaf, onion, and pepper; add the potatoes. When the water returns to a boil, reduce the heat to medium; cover and cook for about 8 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender. While potatoes are cooking, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
Taste and adjust the seasoning. When the potatoes, are done; drain well and remove the bay leaf. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl, add the dressing and toss. Bring the salad to room temperature for serving.
Advance preparation
To serve chilled, it's best to refrigerate the dressing and salad in separate covered containers for up to 3 days; toss together up to 1 hour before serving.
Sweet pickle relish and a little tangy mustard make this unique version of potato salad.
Ingredients
1/4 C. vinegar
1/4 C. water
6 Tbs. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 dash pepper
1 tsp. mustard
2 eggs, well beaten
1 C. salad dressing (Miracle Whip)
4-5 C. potatoes, cooked and cubed
3 hard-boiled eggs
1/4 C. celery, diced
2 Tbs. onions, diced
1/4 C. sweet pickle relish
Directions
Combine first 6 ingredients and bring to a boil. Gradually beat in well-beaten eggs. Cook, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and add salad dressing. Mix well and pour over potato, egg, celery, onion and relish. Add more salt and pepper if desired. Refrigerate until well-chilled and serve.
This is a recipe that calls for the almost normal potato salad but blended with jalapenos and some cilantro leaves that make it more of a Mexican tasting dish.
Ingredients
4 potatoes, peeled or scrubbed, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
8 large green olives, sliced
2 pickled jalapeños, stemmed, seeded and coarsely chopped
12 radishes, trimmed and sliced thin
4 scallions, trimmed and minced
3/4 C. chopped cilantro leaves
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
Directions
Put the potatoes in a pot; add water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer until the potatoes are soft all the way through but not disintegrating, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool and dry out a bit, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl, add the mustard, and toss to coat. Add remaining ingredients and gently mix. Serve right away at room temperature or serve chilled.
And you can find plenty more potato salad recipes here!
