Need help with potato salad...

[ElleShip]

This is one of my husbands favorite dishes, and when I tried it once last summer it didn't come out well at all. He wants me to try it again, so I was wondering if any one had any good recipes for potato salad they could share with me. Maybe possibly some tips for preparing it as well? Last time I made it mine came out bland and seemed to take forever to make.

 

[Andy M.]

This is one of my husbands favorite dishes, and when I tried it once last summer it didn't come out well at all. He wants me to try it again, so I was wondering if any one had any good recipes for potato salad they could share with me. Maybe possibly some tips for preparing it as well? Last time I made it mine came out bland and seemed to take forever to make.

What type of potato salad are you interested in? Mayonnaise based, vinegar based?

Some folks use ranch dressing to flavor a salad.
Bacon and hard cooked eggs are a popular addition.
Season well. Potatoes need a lot of salt.
Small amounts of things like mustard, vinegar and celery salt add a lot to a salad.
Boil your potatoes and cut them up then toss them with the dressing while the potatoes are still hot/warm. They will absorb the flavors better.
Use low starch potatoes like reds or youkon golds. They hold their shape better.

 

[ElleShip]

Thanks Andy!

I was wanting something more Mayonnaise based. I'll have to try out some of those tips.

 

[Dawgluver]

I add a bit of sugar, a squirt of yellow mustard and a bit of cider vinegar to my mayo based potato salad, along with lots of celery, some onion, either green or other, and hard boiled egg.

 

[ElleShip]

What if he's not a big fan of celery? Would it be overpowering?

 

[Dawgluver]

You can leave it out, but it adds a nice crunch. Celery seed is good too. Pickles would be another addition.

 

[ElleShip]

What kind of pickles do you think would be best?

 

[GLC]

I think a good approach to potato salad is to have what I might call a "theme," a direction for it to, so it has accents that work together and doesn't become a muddle. A lot of people like their mayo type to go herbish, mainly dill, including both the fresh herb and the pickles. A prominent vinegar note goes well with that, a light, sharp vinegar, rather than a heavier balsamic. I see a lot of them that use too much mayo, and I think they become too much a chunky cream, and that predisposes toward a blandness that is hard to counter with other ingredients. It's a POTATO salad, a salad of potatoes, so it shouldn't drown in it's "dressing." And if it seems blah, a touch of Louisiana style hot sauce isn't out of place.

Oh, And everything's better with bacon. Right?

 

[Dawgluver]

Sweet or sour pickles, either would work. The sour could take the place of vinegar. Pickle relish would work too. A local grocery store makes theirs with sweet relish.

I would keep tasting the dressing until you get what you like.

 

[Andy M.]

What if he's not a big fan of celery? Would it be overpowering?

I don't use celery because I don't like it. If you are concerned about overpowering flavor, use less. You can add a diced cuke for crunch in addition to or instead of celery.

 

[Kayelle]

Just to bold what Andy said "Boil your potatoes and cut them up then toss them with the dressing while the potatoes are still hot/warm. They will absorb the flavors better."
I learned that many years ago from my Mom, and it's very important. You can boil them well scrubbed with the skins on, and they will peel easily. I like one hard boiled egg per potato also.
My grandmother taught me how to make hot German potato salad with bacon, onions and vinegar that is really good too.

 

[Zhizara]

I like your idea, Kayelle!

I always boil my potatoes in salted water. Like pasta, it can be very bland if not cooked in salted water.

The secret ingredients I use are a combination of mayo, Italian Salad Dressing Mix and a capful of vinegar to wake up the flavors of the dressing mix.

 

[LPBeier]

While catering, I found that many people liked Baked Potato Salad.

I actually bake the potatoes, cube take the pulp out of the skins and mix with sour cream, mayo, bacon, green onions (scallions), and grated cheddar cheese. Salt and Pepper of course, too.

 

[Addie]

While your potatoes are cooking, you can be making your dressing in a bowl and season to taste. That way it will be ready to add to your warm potatoes.

 

[jennyema]

I sprinkle my hot drained potatoes with white wine vinegar first. Then dress the potatoes while warm.

I use Hellmans, Miracle Whip, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and onion powder and salt to taste (usually doesn't need it).

 

[CWS4322]

I make several different types of potato salad. When I have new potatoes, I make potato salad with an oil and vinegar dressing. I recently made potato salad with curry dressing (and loved it). A little bit of mustard goes a long way when making traditional potato salad, as does a little bit of the "juice" in capers.

 

[ElleShip]

I've never tried it with curry dressing. Thanks for the suggestions guys. I've been on Pinterest looking up recipes, but all of them tend to be similar to the one that I've tried.

 

[chiklitmanfan]

Thanks again for the clever ideas. Never thought to add dressing while the potatoes are still warm. Ours seems to have plenty of flavor and how do you handle a "hot potato" to peel/cube it? Ouch. I'd also like to try a German vinegar-based potato salad some day also.

Ours is pretty standard.................

We make our potato salad from my wife's Mother's recipe and although we don't have exact ingredient measurements, here are some essential items to include which give our salad that 'bite' or 'tang.'

Fellow posters are correct in that red or gold potatoes hold their shape better and don't mush out like russets or whites, plus they offer a subtle flavor enhancement. I have found there is no easy way to prepare potatoes for salad other than we cool the potatoes overnight in the fridge then prepare them for dicing by rubbing the skins off with the bare hands which seems to be more efficient and leaves more potato in the salad than the kitchen sink.

We also add chopped boiled eggs, chopped onions, and chopped dill pickles.

The dressing is all important and we steadfastly utilize a mayonnaise base. So, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, dill pickle juice, and a lot of salt and pepper. This is not a Southern style sweet potato salad (which I also love) but has a lot of sharpness and tang in the dressing to counter the bland flavor of the potatoes. Testing the dressing by tasting should make your jaws snap and I think most cooks know that sensation. We flood the salad with dressing as the potatoes soak up a lot of it and often keep some in reserve for the next day's left overs.

Bon Appetite!

 

[CraigC]

Our go to dressing is a combo of mayo, Marzetti's coleslaw dressing and yellow prepared mustard. Beside the potatoes we add chopped cocktail olives, hard boiled eggs and a pinch of celery seed.

Emeril has a great sweet and sour slaw he calls Maw Maw's slaw.

 

[Mad Cook]

This is one of my husbands favorite dishes, and when I tried it once last summer it didn't come out well at all. He wants me to try it again, so I was wondering if any one had any good recipes for potato salad they could share with me. Maybe possibly some tips for preparing it as well? Last time I made it mine came out bland and seemed to take forever to make.

One hint I can pass on is to put the dressing on while the potatoes are still warm. The flavours blend nicely then.

What about salt? Are you putting enough in the dressing or when cooking the potatoes? A pinch of cayenne?

Perhaps you need to research recipes to find a tastier one? Do you add finely chopped scallions or shallots? They are bother good in pot sal.

I may be a bit weird but I like my pot sal made with the skins left on.

Hope this helps.

Above all, keep tasting as you made it