Three Potato Salad | The Best Homemade Potato Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best type of potato to use for potato salad? ›

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. People who prefer a creamy potato salad that soaks up dressing like a sponge, though, opt for a starchy potato.

There's no reason at all, so my advice is to leave the skins on. The skin on a potato adds a nice texture and flavor to the potato salad and it's also the healthiest part.

Not Getting The Cook Time Right

It's a delicate balance to achieve soft, tender potatoes for that just-right potato salad texture. Defer to your recipe for specific cook times, which depend on the type of potato being used, but a good rule of thumb is to boil them until you can pierce the spuds with a fork.

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.

Cut the potatoes into similar-sized cubes or slices so the same cooking time works for all. The smaller you cut them, the higher the risk of overcooking them, so keep an eye on them and drain them when they're just tender. How long you boil them depends on how big you cut them.

Dice unpeeled potatoes into uniformly-sized pieces. Place in cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer until tender. Peeled potatoes. Place whole, skin-on potatoes in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer until tender.

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. If it slides in without much effort, you're good to go!

Peeled, cubed potatoes cut into small, one-inch pieces should cook in 10 to 12 minutes, once the water reaches a boil. Larger pieces (about 2 inches across) may need longer, around 15 minutes. Medium whole potatoes should boil 20 minutes before they'll be tender.

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.

If you have added too much mayo to your potato salad, you can fix it by adding more of the other ingredients to balance out the flavor. You can add more boiled potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, diced pickles, onions, celery, or mustard.

Why does my potato salad taste so bland? ›

Because classic potato salad is basically a softened potato mixture with mayonnaise, its flavor can be slightly bland. According to The Kitchn, you can perk up your potato salad with an easy, tasty hack, and it doesn't require any extra work: simply add pickle brine.

You've got two options. The first option is to cook more potatoes and make more potato salad, adding more of every ingredient except mustard. Doing so will get the mustard content in equilibrium with the rest of the flavors in the salad. Your other option is to adjust the seasonings to compliment the…

Waxy potatoes have a smoother, waxy texture and hold their shape while cooking. They work well in soups, stews, potato salad and scalloped potatoes. Waxy potatoes stand up to boiling, slicing and roasting where starchy potatoes may fall apart.

The bottom line: Potato labels refer to the color of a potatoes' flesh; potatoes labeled “gold” or “yellow” are not Yukon Gold potatoes, but they can be used in place of Yukon Gold potatoes in recipes.

For boiling, salads and casseroles it is best to use waxy/smooth textured potatoes. These potatoes have a high water content and are low in starch. They have a dense texture and retain their shape during cooking. The most common varieties would be Nadine and Draga.