The Way I Make Classic Potato Salad

Even though I’ve never posted a recipe for a classic potato salad with a mayonnaise-based dressing, it really is my favorite way to serve up cold potatoes with a summer meal. It can be changed up, varied, and improvised upon, and I often do those things simply to take advantage of what I have on hand, or make up for what I don’t have. I think a lot of gourmet cooks turn their noses up at this potentially gloppy and uninspired dish, but I love it.

Of course you can’t get too far toward making a good potato salad without good potatoes. That being said, I find that freshness and quality, rather than type of potato, are the keys. I make this with whatever potato I happen to be liking at the moment, often small, red-skinned “new” potatoes, which are plentiful here in the summer. Whatever they are, the potatoes need to be cooked with their skins on in a big pot starting with cold water. The skins keep the potato flesh together during cooking rather than having it disintegrate away at an exposed surface. Starting with cold water helps keep the potatoes from turning squishy on the outside while the inside remains undercooked. If the potatoes have thin skins, I will leave the skins on to serve them, but I will peel Russet or other thick-skinned potatoes once they have cooled. (A cold cooked potato peels very easily.)

For the dressing, I like a combination of mayonnaise and sour cream with a highlight of Dijon mustard. Other mustards are good, too, and plain yellow mustard was probably what was in the delicious potato salads on which I grew up. A bit of dill makes everything better, in my opinion. Fresh dill is my preferred option, although I would choose to use dried dill rather than nothing at all.

I really like to combine my potatoes with onion, celery, and bell pepper. Green pepper is fine, and I’m happy to use it, but sweeter red, yellow, or orange peppers are even better. I’ll also include other vegetables, such as radishes, and there are probably many other vegetables that would work here, too. I find that if I toss together the cooked potatoes and the vegetables with some salt before dressing the salad, the flavor is somehow enhanced more effectively with less salt.

I also stir some chopped hard-boiled egg into my salad, but you wouldn’t have to. In fact, if you use a vegan mayonnaise, like this one, and omit or replace the sour cream with a vegan option, you can make a vegan potato salad. You wouldn’t want to miss out on such a traditional staple just because you do not use eggs and dairy in your cooking, would you?

The way I see it, a creamy mayonnaise-based potato salad is summer fare that is not to be neglected. Done poorly, I suppose such a dish can really rain on your parade, but there’s a reason such things earn the title of “classic.” Potato salad as it is familiar to many in this country will be around for a long time, and I for one am not afraid to admit how much I enjoy it.

Classic Potato Salad

Full fat or reduced fat mayonnaise and sour cream are both good here. I do not recommend fat free versions.

1 pound potatoes, skin on

½ cup finely chopped onion

½ cup finely chopped celery

1 medium-size bell pepper, any color, chopped

½ teaspoon coarse salt, divided

¾ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup sour cream

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 hard-boiled eggs, shells removed, chopped

1. Leave the potatoes whole and do not peel. Place the potatoes in a large pot. Fill the pot with cold water, covering the potatoes by at least 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Gently boil until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes for small potatoes, longer for larger ones.

2. Drain the potatoes and cool completely. This can be done a day ahead.

3. Peel the potatoes if desired. I do not peel them if the skins are tender and relatively unblemished. Cut into bite-size cubes (1/2 – 1 inch, or to taste) and place in a large bowl. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Sprinkle in ½ teaspoon salt. Toss together to combine.

4. To make the dressing, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, black pepper, dill, and remaining salt in a small bowl. Pour over the potato mixture and stir gently to coat well.

5. Add the hard boiled egg and toss together gently to combine. Taste for seasoning and creaminess, and add more salt or other seasonings or more mayonnaise or sour cream to taste. Chill until ready to serve.

Makes about 6 side dish servings.

Other recipes like this one: Lemon Herb Potato Salad; Potato, Broccoli, and Green Bean Salad with Tarragon Mustard Dressing; Potato Salad with Chinese Flavors; Potato Salad with Fresh Vegetables and Olives