A classic potato salad packed with crunchy vegetables and coated in a creamy, tangy dressing—perfect for BBQs and warm-weather gatherings.
Potato salad—nothing evokes an American BBQ like a bowl of tender potatoes mixed with a creamy dressing. For years I avoided it: cold, mayo-coated potatoes didn’t appeal to me. That changed one busy picnic season when I worked in a cafeteria serving thousands each day. We churned out batch after batch of potato salad, and one day my coworker Teresa insisted I try hers.
At first I resisted, but when I finally sampled it I was surprised. The salad was creamy without being heavy, with pleasant texture, light crunch and a bright tang. It wasn’t just tolerable—it was delicious. The next day I stood beside Teresa while she made it. She worked intuitively, never measuring yet always producing consistent results. I learned her simple, classic method and now pass it along to you.
I prefer to make this the night before so the flavors can meld—it’s even better after chilling overnight.
First, wash your potatoes. Small red potatoes work especially well. Quarter them if they’re small, or cut into eighths if larger.
Place the cut potatoes in a pot with a few pinches of salt and bring to a boil until they are just fork-tender.
While the potatoes cook, hard-boil the eggs. You can use your preferred method to get perfect hard-boiled eggs every time.
Finely dice celery and slice scallions. I like the salad generous with scallions—about 3/4 cup—to bring out the potato flavor.
When the potatoes are just tender, drain them in a colander and allow them to cool slightly. You can prepare them the day before if you prefer.
Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and crumble the hard-boiled eggs on top. You can break the eggs up with your hands or a fork—either method works fine.
Add the chopped scallions and diced celery. For the dressing, combine 3/4 cup sour cream, 3/4 cup mayonnaise and 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir everything together with a spatula or use your hands to mix—using your hands helps distribute the dressing evenly.
For a lighter version, you can substitute some or all of the sour cream and mayonnaise with non-fat Greek yogurt. It will be tangier but still very tasty.
Taste and adjust seasoning. If you like more tang, add a touch more mustard; if it needs brightness, a pinch more salt or a splash of vinegar can help. Garnish with additional scallions and refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight for best flavor.
The Ultimate Potato Salad
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Ingredients
Scale
- 5 pounds red potatoes
- 5 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
- 3 stalks celery, finely diced
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 4 tbsp Dijon mustard (about 1/4 cup)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash and quarter (or eighth) the red potatoes.
- Place the potatoes in a pot with a few pinches of salt and bring to a boil. Cook until just fork-tender.
- Hard-boil the eggs while the potatoes cook, then cool, peel and set aside.
- Finely dice the celery and chop the scallions (about 3/4 cup).
- Drain the cooked potatoes and let them cool slightly; you can also boil them the night before.
- Put the potatoes in a large bowl and crumble the hard-boiled eggs over them. Break up the eggs with your hands or a fork.
- Add the scallions and diced celery to the bowl.
- Combine 3/4 cup sour cream, 3/4 cup mayonnaise and 1/4 cup Dijon mustard. Add salt and pepper, then mix into the potatoes and eggs until evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Garnish with extra scallions and refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably overnight, before serving.
***Originally posted August 1st 2014***