Easy Potato Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why don't you peel potatoes for potato salad? ›

The skin on a potato adds a nice texture and flavor to the potato salad and it's also the healthiest part.

Start with cold water, not boiling. According to Love Potatoes, dropping them into cold water instead of boiling water (and letting the potatoes and water heat up together) will prevent the outside from cooking faster than the inside.

Potatoes can retain moisture. To prevent this, drain the potatoes very well in a colander or pot. Allow all the steam to escape the potatoes before mixing them with the dressing and other ingredients.

Waxy potatoes are generally considered the best for classic potato salad because they retain their shape, you don't have to peel them, and they have a smooth texture.

Drop a whole russet into the pot and by the time the outside has cooked through, the inside will still be raw. Larger potatoes should be cubed to ensure they cook evenly (peeled first if desired). Smaller potatoes tend to have thin skins and can be boiled whole, no peeling required.

Traditional potato salad in the US is made with mayonnaise and it is best to wait until the potatoes have cooled before adding any dressing.

In general small or cubed potatoes will take about 10 to 15 minutes to boil, while larger, whole potatoes will take between 20 to 25 minutes. To check potatoes for doneness, insert a knife into one.

Some people say potato salad tastes better the next day. Even if you're not in that camp, you need to allow about one hour for the potatoes to cool before adding the mayonnaise.

Potatoes without seasoning are bland and flavorless, and salt adds delicious flavor. Potatoes are dense and require time to absorb some of the salt during cooking. That is why the salted water must be concentrated, claims Bon Appétit.

After they are cooked, I let them cool until they can be handled somewhat easily and then I peel them. The skins come off nice and easy. I chill them overnight and cube them the next day and put my salad together. This is the way my Grandma taught me, and she made a legendary potato salad.

Why does my potato salad taste bland? ›

Forgetting To Salt The Water

Just as you would with pasta, seasoning the water is the only way to flavor the potatoes themselves. The vegetable absorbs the water it's cooked in, so if you just boil them in unseasoned water, you'll end up with tasteless taters that no amount of mayo, herbs, or bacon bits can help.

Just take a fine grater or zester to the rind, measure out about a half teaspoon of zest per two cups of potato salad, and mix it in. The addition of a sweet element, like sugar or any sweetener, should also be enough to neutralize the extra vinegar, but if the flavor is still off, use a pinch of baking soda.

If mixing with mayo, wait till the potatoes have cooled or are chilled from placing in the refrigerator. Just as with mashed potatoes, don't over-mix the ingredients or the potatoes will turn mushy or runny.