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It's summer and that means barbeques and picnics galore! One of the most ubiquitous summer side dishes is potato salad -- and the variations are countless. Really the only common ingredient is potatoes -- everything else is up for grabs depending on where you are, what your potato salad is being served with, and of course, the chef's personal tastes! Potato salads are so popular because they're easy to prepare in large quantities, utilize affordable ingredients, and can be made ahead of time.
There are primarily two main categories of potato salads: creamy and vinegar. Most "American" potato salads are creamy - that is, the potatoes are dressed in mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt, or some other creamy salad dressing and generally served cold, while the vinegar-type potato salads are often known as "German" and can be served warm. While you can make potato salad with any kind of potato you've got on hand, the most popular type are small red-skinned potatoes, especially since you can keep the skins on the potatoes for extra flavor and nutrients and they maintain their moisture and firm texture when cooked, mixed, and chilled (although for best results, stir your potato salad as little as possible.)
If you ask around your family, you're likely to find someone with a favorite potato salad recipe they're willing to share, but if not, here are some places and ideas to get you started:
1. Classic American Potato Salad. The most basic version of potato salad usually includes potatoes, mayonnaise, onions, relish or chopped pickles (sweet or dill), salt, and pepper. Check out Alton Brown's Cold-Fashioned Potato Salad for some ideas on where to start. You can also lighten up almost any potato salad recipe by using lower-fat alternatives for the mayonnaise like reduced fat sour cream or plain yogurt.
2. Add Eggs and/or Mustard. Most regional variations on potato salad have to do with adding these ingredients. In the South, it's pretty common to have both hard-boiled eggs and mustard (or mustard powder) mixed in. This Homemade Potato Salad is a good example of a Southern version.
3. Add Other Vegetables or Spices. Don't be limited to what you find in recipes -- there are no limits to what you can mix in to your potato salad. Crunchy vegetables are popular for people who like a little extra texture, and celery is probably the most popular of those, but you could also add carrots, radishes, avocados, and lots of other fresh vegetable you have available. Likewise, play with the spices and herbs -- garlic, tarragon, dill, parsley, even jalapenos can make your potato salad work better with the rest of the meal. How about Potato Salad with Fresh Stir-Ins?
4. Add Bacon. Bacon makes pretty much anything better and potato salad is no exception. For best results, add the crisp crumbled bacon right before you're ready to serve. BLT Potato Salad can help guide you along.
5. German Potato Salad. As we mentioned earlier, German potato salad is sort of a different dish in that it's not cream dressing-based (vinegar instead) and is served warm. That doesn't mean it can't also benefit from your adding your own special ingredients, but this German Potato Salad is a good place to start.
Potato Salad is a really versatile dish -- you can adjust it to whatever else you're serving and to your particular taste. Make sure you practice good food safety -- don't leave mayonnaise-based dishes out in the sun, of course, and you'll have a happy crowd!
Email This
It's summer and that means barbeques and picnics galore! One of the most ubiquitous summer side dishes is potato salad -- and the variations are countless. Really the only common ingredient is potatoes -- everything else is up for grabs depending on where you are, what your potato salad is being served with, and of course, the chef's personal tastes! Potato salads are so popular because they're easy to prepare in large quantities, utilize affordable ingredients, and can be made ahead of time.There are primarily two main categories of potato salads: creamy and vinegar. Most "American" potato salads are creamy - that is, the potatoes are dressed in mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt, or some other creamy salad dressing and generally served cold, while the vinegar-type potato salads are often known as "German" and can be served warm. While you can make potato salad with any kind of potato you've got on hand, the most popular type are small red-skinned potatoes, especially since you can keep the skins on the potatoes for extra flavor and nutrients and they maintain their moisture and firm texture when cooked, mixed, and chilled (although for best results, stir your potato salad as little as possible.)
If you ask around your family, you're likely to find someone with a favorite potato salad recipe they're willing to share, but if not, here are some places and ideas to get you started:
1. Classic American Potato Salad. The most basic version of potato salad usually includes potatoes, mayonnaise, onions, relish or chopped pickles (sweet or dill), salt, and pepper. Check out Alton Brown's Cold-Fashioned Potato Salad for some ideas on where to start. You can also lighten up almost any potato salad recipe by using lower-fat alternatives for the mayonnaise like reduced fat sour cream or plain yogurt.
2. Add Eggs and/or Mustard. Most regional variations on potato salad have to do with adding these ingredients. In the South, it's pretty common to have both hard-boiled eggs and mustard (or mustard powder) mixed in. This Homemade Potato Salad is a good example of a Southern version.
3. Add Other Vegetables or Spices. Don't be limited to what you find in recipes -- there are no limits to what you can mix in to your potato salad. Crunchy vegetables are popular for people who like a little extra texture, and celery is probably the most popular of those, but you could also add carrots, radishes, avocados, and lots of other fresh vegetable you have available. Likewise, play with the spices and herbs -- garlic, tarragon, dill, parsley, even jalapenos can make your potato salad work better with the rest of the meal. How about Potato Salad with Fresh Stir-Ins?
4. Add Bacon. Bacon makes pretty much anything better and potato salad is no exception. For best results, add the crisp crumbled bacon right before you're ready to serve. BLT Potato Salad can help guide you along.
5. German Potato Salad. As we mentioned earlier, German potato salad is sort of a different dish in that it's not cream dressing-based (vinegar instead) and is served warm. That doesn't mean it can't also benefit from your adding your own special ingredients, but this German Potato Salad is a good place to start.
Potato Salad is a really versatile dish -- you can adjust it to whatever else you're serving and to your particular taste. Make sure you practice good food safety -- don't leave mayonnaise-based dishes out in the sun, of course, and you'll have a happy crowd!