Enliven your summer meals with homemade potato salad: creamy potatoes, crunchy celery and red onion, crisp bits of bacon, hard cooked eggs, graced by a tangy mayonnaise and mustard dressing flecked with sweet pickle relish. How long it takes: 1 hour prep time, extra time for chilling Equipment you’ll need: large saucepan, mixing bowls, measuring utensils, sharp knife Servings: 12 servings There are a lot of potato salad recipes but I modestly think this creamy potato salad recipe is the best! I know it’s super easy to stop at the deli and pick up a container of ready-made potato salad, and I’ve done just that plenty of times, but trust me, you want to learn how to make your own. Homemade is so much better! While potato salad takes a little time to prepare, there’s nothing difficult about it, and the result is so delicious. I’ve included some helpful make-ahead ideas to make things even easier. Try it today!
About this potato salad
There’s nothing fancy about the ingredients in this recipe. I’m sure you probably have almost everything you need already. The bacon is optional but I definitely recommend giving it a try. We really love both the taste and the texture it adds to the potato salad. The dressing is made with mayonnaise. Many of my creamy style salads are made with Greek yogurt in place of all or some of the mayonnaise usually found in this type of salad. My dill potato salad is made with a yogurt and mayo blend and it’s amazing. I did test this recipe with yogurt but decided on all mayo for the best traditional flavor.
What You’ll Need
Potatoes: Choose a thin-skinned, waxy variety of potatoes for the best results, i.e. Yukon Gold, red potatoes, new potatoes, or fingerlings. Starchy potatoes such as Idaho or Russet tend to fall apart and will soak up a lot of dressing. It’s your choice whether you want to peel the potatoes. I like to leave the peelings on. Hard Boiled Eggs: I usually use my Instant Pot to hard boil eggs. My kids love them so I make a dozen at a time. They are always easy to peel when you use a pressure cooker. Red Onion: Other types of onion are fine, too. I like a sweet onion so the taste isn’t overpowering. Celery: A classic ingredient in potato salad, celery provides lots of crunch. Add radishes, too, if you like. Bacon: This is an optional ingredient but it adds tons of flavor to the potato salad. Dressing: A creamy mixture of Mayonnaise, Yellow Mustard, Sweet Pickle Relish, Lemon Juice, Dried Dill, Salt and Pepper.
How To Make This Recipe
Cook your potatoes until they are just tender. (Make sure to read the recipe notes for Instant Pot directions. I love that you can cook the eggs right with the potatoes with this timesaving method.) You’ll want to cool the potatoes down before mixing them with the rest of the ingredients. Plan on about an hour (or overnight) for cooling. Meanwhile fry up some bacon, or even better, make easy baked bacon. Chop the onion, and get it soaking in ice water to remove some of the strong flavor. Chop a few stalks of celery, and prepare the dressing. The dressing is so easy: simply mix mayo, yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish, a dash of lemon juice, dried dill, salt, and pepper. Okay, now you have all the elements of your potato salad ready. In a big bowl, gently mix everything together. That’s it! You did it! Cover the bowl and set it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve the best. potato. salad. ever. Fire up your grill and enjoy homemade potato salad as a perfect accompaniment to grilled salmon or chicken, burgers, hot dogs, or brats. And don’t forget homemade baked beans!
Make It Your Own
There are so many ways to make this southern style salad your own. I’m sure you have something in mind already, thinking about your grandma’s version of this recipe or something you’ve read about in a magazine. Here’s a few ideas for you:
Add different vegetables. Many recipes include sliced radishes. Green peas would be good, too. You could add diced bell peppers, corn, or sliced green onions. Add chopped dill or sweet pickles, or black olives. Omit the bacon for a vegetarian potato salad. Or increase the bacon, if you’re a bacon lover, Leave out the hard boiled eggs. Or mix in half the eggs, and garnish the potato salad with sliced eggs. Like cheese? Mix in sharp cheddar cheese for a less traditional potato salad. Tweak the dressing. More mayo, less mayo, relish, no relish, yellow mustard or Dijon, whole grain, or horseradish, whatever you like. Make it just the way you like it. Maybe you like tons of dressing. Or maybe not so much. You decide. Try adding a teaspoon of celery seed. Taste it along the way and season accordingly! Add a quarter cup of fresh chopped herbs such as parsley, dill, or chives. Looking for a hot dish instead of a salad? Try loaded mashed potato casserole or crockpot cheesy potatoes. Both recipes are always a hit at potlucks.
Make-Ahead Ideas
Cook the potatoes, eggs, bacon, chop up the celery and onion, make the dressing, and so on. Refrigerate the ingredients separately overnight until you’re ready, and then simply stir everything together. Or prepare the recipe completely, cover it well, and refrigerate overnight. It’s just as good the next day!
Storage Tips
Homemade potato salad will keep three to five days in the refrigerator. Make sure it’s covered tightly. Potato salad does not freeze well.
More summer salads
You’ll love these delicious summer salads and they’re perfect for picnics! Try:
Taco salad Tortellini pasta salad with pepperoni Bruschetta orzo pasta salad Southwestern orzo pasta salad Summer pasta salad Greek pasta salad with feta and beans Mexican street corn pasta salad Broccoli salad – the traditional salad made a bit healthier Creamy coleslaw recipe
Quick-Start Guide!
