Classic Potato Salad (2024)

FAQs

How does Rachael Ray make potato salad? ›

In the bottom of a medium mixing bowl, grate 1/4 onion using a hand grater. Add mustard and mayonnaise, paprika and cayenne pepper sauce to the grated onion and stir to combine. Add potatoes to the bowl and stir to evenly distribute dressing. Season potato salad with salt and pepper and taste to adjust your seasonings.

What Is German Potato Salad? Unlike mayonnaise-based American potato salads, German potato salad is tossed in a vinegar-based dressing made with bacon drippings. It is usually served warm instead of cold, but some people prefer to serve it at room temperature.

This Amish Potato Salad starts off with a sweet, creamy dressing that gets drizzled over all the potato salad classics – celery, boiled eggs, onions, and sweet pickle relish. This is a great summer side dish and a nice change from the usual. That sweet dressing is a bit different, but oh so good!

Russet, Yukon Gold, or red potatoes (new potatoes) are all excellent for potato salad. They do cook at different rates so be sure to adjust cook time depending on which type of potato you select.

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.

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.

Overcooked potatoes might turn your salad into a mash, or a thick, uninteresting salad dressing may leave your salad bland. You may even encounter the dreaded undercooked tuber, ruining an otherwise perfectly good salad.

Today, commercially, anything labeled “mayonnaise” must be comprised of 65% vegetable oil by weight. The added water and other elements in Miracle Whip take that oil content down, meaning it can't be classified as mayonnaise and must instead be labeled “dressing”.

To keep your salad from falling apart into mush, it's important to use the best potatoes for potato salad. Skip the russet potatoes and use a waxy variety instead, like Yukon gold, red potatoes or fingerlings. Learn more about which types of potatoes you should use for different recipes.

Does it matter what kind of potatoes you use for potato salad? ›

Russet, Yukon Gold, or red potatoes (new potatoes) are all excellent for potato salad. They do cook at different rates so be sure to adjust cook time depending on which type of potato you select.

But the truth is, mayonnaise isn't your main concern when it comes to spoilage. The actual culprit is the potatoes. Yes, it's true!