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Variations on a Classic: The rich variety of potato-salad recipes means you don't have to serve same one twice
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Published: July 1, 2009
If you think potato salad is made only one way, check out some of these recipes to see how versatile this classic picnic dish is.
All-American Potato Salad
3 pounds red potatoes (about 6 medium)
¼ cup chopped onion
⅓ cup diced celery
¼ cup cider vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup mayonnaise or more to taste
2 teaspoons prepared mustard, optional
3 to 4 tablespoons sweet-pickle relish, or minced sweet pickles
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped or sliced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley, optional
1. Place potatoes in large pot of cold water. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer just until potatoes can be easily pierced with a paring knife, 25 to 30 minutes for medium potatoes.
2. Gently drain potatoes into a colander. Let sit until just cool enough to handle but still very warm.
3. Place onion, celery and vinegar in a large bowl. Peel warm potatoes then chop as desired into ¾-inch cubes or other equal-size pieces. Immediately place in bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste and toss until all the potato cubes get coated and the vinegar is mostly or completely absorbed.
4. Add mayonnaise, relish and chopped hard-cooked eggs. (Or slice the eggs and reserve them for a garnish.) Add more salt and pepper if desired. Gently toss until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Cover and keep refrigerated.
Makes 8 servings.
Warm German Potato Salad
Recipe adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook (Houghton Mifflin, 2004), edited by Ruth Reichl.
3 pounds small (2-inch-diameter) red boiling potatoes, peeled if desired
10 slices bacon (½ pound), cut into ¼-inch wide strips
1 large onion, chopped
½ teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons cider vinegar, divided use
¾ cup chicken broth or reserved potato cooking water
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish, if desired
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1. Place potatoes in pot of cold water and bring to a simmer. Simmer just until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Set skillet aside with bacon drippings.
3. If desired, scoop out and reserve ¾ cup potato cooking water. Gently drain potatoes. When just cool enough to handle, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Transfer to a large bowl, add bacon and cover to keep warm.
4. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the drippings in the skillet. Turn heat to medium-high. Add onion and cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Add sugar, 2 tablespoons of the vinegar and the broth or reserved cooking water. Bring to a simmer for 3 minutes or until slightly reduced. Add onion mixture to potatoes with parsley, remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, salt and pepper.
5. Toss well. Taste again for salt and pepper. Sprinkle with more parsley if desired and serve immediately while still warm.
Makes 6 servings.
French Potato Salad
Recipe adapted from The New Best Recipe (America's Test Kitchen, 2004), by the editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine. Chervil, a mildly flavored member of the parsley family, can be hard to find. If not available, replace it with ½ tablespoon more parsley and ½ tablespoon more tarragon.
2 pounds red potatoes (about 6 medium or 18 small), scrubbed and cut into ¼-inch slices
2 tablespoons salt
1 medium garlic clove, peeled and threaded onto a skewer
1½ tablespoons champagne or other white-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon minced chervil leaves
1 tablespoon minced parsley leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon leaves
1. Place the potatoes, the salt and about 6 cups cold water in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium. Lower the skewered garlic clove into the water and partially blanch, about 45 seconds. Immediately run the garlic under cold water to stop the cooking. Remove from skewer and set aside. Simmer the potatoes just until tender, about 5 minutes. Gently drain, reserving ¼ cup of the cooking water. Arrange hot potatoes close together in a single layer on a baking sheet.
2. Working quickly, put garlic through a garlic press or mince by hand. Whisk garlic, reserved cooking water, vinegar, mustard, oil and pepper together in a small bowl. Drizzle dressing evenly over all of the warm potatoes.
3. Transfer potatoes to a large serving bowl. Toss gently with the shallot and herbs. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 6 servings.
Tzatziki Potato Salad
This low-fat salad features the flavors of tzatziki, the Greek condiment that is traditionally used on gyros. Recipe adapted from The All New Joy of Cooking (Scribner, 1997). If you can find Greek-style yogurt, now carried in some supermarkets such as Whole Foods Market, you can skip the first step of draining the yogurt.
2 cups low-fat plain yogurt
1 cucumber, scrubbed, or peeled if waxed, seeded, finely diced
1½ teaspoons salt, divided use
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly snipped dill
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar, or more to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 pounds red or other waxy potatoes
Thin cucumber slices, mint sprigs and dill sprigs for garnish, optional
1. Set a very fine mesh sieve or a colander lined with a coffee filter or several layers of cheesecloth over a bowl. Add yogurt and let drain at room temperature for 2 hours or covered in a refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
2. Meanwhile, toss cucumber and 1 teaspoon of salt in a colander at let drain at room temperature for 1 hour or covered in a refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
3. Squeeze the cucumber with a dry dish towel to remove as much liquid as possible. Then dry on paper towels. Place yogurt and cucumber in a large bowl with olive oil, dill, mint, vinegar and black pepper to taste.
4. Mash garlic and remaining ½ teaspoon salt to a paste. Stir into yogurt mixture and refrigerate while making potatoes.
5. Scrub potatoes. Place potatoes in large pot of cold water. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer until potatoes can be easily pierced with a paring knife, 25 to 30 minutes for medium potatoes.
6. Drain potatoes. Peel if desired. Cut into bite-size pieces. Let cool to room temperature. Combine potatoes and tzatziki. If desired, garnish with thin cucumber slices and mint and dill sprigs. Keep refrigerated.
Makes 6 servings.
Roasted Potato Salad with Rosemary and Asiago Cheese
Recipe adapted from Grillin' With Gas (Taunton Press, 2009) by Fred Thompson. This recipe really stretches the definition of potato salad, by roasting the potatoes, skipping the mayo and even vinegar, and adding cheese. If Asiago cheese is not available, freshly grated Parmesan or Romano would make a good substitute.
3 pounds red potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
⅓ cup grated Asiago cheese
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Quarter any large potatoes and cut any smaller ones in half. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add oil, salt and pepper and toss until potatoes are thoroughly coated with oil. Be generous with the pepper.
3. Transfer the potatoes to a large rimmed baking sheet and spread them in a single layer. Roast the potatoes, stirring occasionally, until they are crispy and brown on the outside and tender when tested with a knife, about 1 hour.
4. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool slightly. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with the rosemary. Let cool completely, then toss with the cheese and serve at room temperature.
Makes 6 servings.
Flame-Seared Potato and Fennel Salad
Recipe adapted from 300 Big & Bold Barbecue and Grilling Recipes (Robert Rose, 2009) by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig. Note that you need a perforated grill rack to put on top of the grill. This is essential for the fennel slices, which would fall through the cracks in a regular grill rack. Alternatively, the fennel slices could be sauteed in a skillet.
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cups mayonnaise
Grated zest of 1 lemon
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 large potatoes, thinly sliced lengthwise
Olive oil
2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and cored, cut lengthwise into ¼-inch slices
1. Heat a grill over medium-high heat for direct grilling. Oil the grill rack.
2. In a bowl, whisk green onions, garlic, mayonnaise, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Brush potato slices on both sides with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange on grill rack in single layer. Close lid and grill 2 to 3 minutes on each side, turning once until fork tender. Remove from grill and keep warm.
4. Brush fennel with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange on grill rack in single layer. Close lid and grill 2 to 3 minutes on each side, turning once until fork tender.
5. Arrange fennel in the middle of a large platter with potatoes on either side. Drizzle with some of the dressing. Serve remaining dressing on the side.
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Potato Salad with a Twist
Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Grillin' and Chillin' (Meredith Books, 2009). This low-fat potato salad has lots of veggies. Avocado, especially, lends a distinctive touch here, as does the cumin. Ground cumin can be used instead of cumin seeds. Lime juice would make a good substitute for the lemon. If desired, try adding a little minced, seeded jalapeno along with the bell peppers.
2 pounds tiny new white or fingerling potatoes
¼ cup lemon juice, divided use
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
½ cup sliced green onions
½ teaspoon cumin seeds, optional
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 medium yellow, red and/or green bell peppers, seeded, cored and cut into bite-size strips
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
3 to 5 slices bacon, cooked until crisped, drained and crumbled, optional
1. Halve any large new or fingerling potatoes to make potatoes of approximately equal, bite size. Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer covered, just until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and cool slightly.
2. Sprinkle warm potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and the ½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together yogurt, green onions, remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, salt, cumin seeds and black pepper. Add potatoes and bell peppers. Toss to coat. Cover and chill.
4. When ready to serve, toss in the avocado. Crumble bacon over the top, if desired.
Makes 12 servings.
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