Memorial Day is nearly here, which means that so is potato salad season. No picnic or backyard barbecue is quite complete without the humble, endlessly versatile dish. Like a snowflake, each potato salad is beautiful in its own unique way, whether it’s topped with chopped pickled peppers, generous globs of mayonnaise, or salty bacon crumbles. Here are the ones that Eater staff will be turning to all summer long.
Potato Salad with Pickled Peppers
Michael Solomonov, Zahav
I no longer hold on to my childhood mayo aversion, but I still prefer a potato salad that tastes mostly like potatoes. I first discovered this Michael Solomonov pickled peppers potato salad recipe when cooking an elaborate dinner party made up of recipes from the Zahav cookbook. On a table featuring everything from pomegranate lamb to fancy halloumi, this side dish was a sleeper hit. It’s easy to make, and the pickled peppers (the recipe calls for shifka; I just use jarred pepperoncini) lend just enough personality to the equation — it’s tasty either cold or at room temperature. It will find a place at my table again this weekend, when I host a spring patio party. — Missy Frederick, cities director
Gamja Salad with Cucumber, Carrot, and Red Onion
Eric Kim, NYT Cooking
One of my foundational encounters with Korean food came in the form of the vinegary potato salad, or gamja-salad, that arrives in a compact ice cream scoop shape as part of the many rotating banchan offered at Korean barbecue restaurants, seolleongtang and soondubu shops, and pochas. Eric Kim’s rendition offers the same sweet-sour taste, crunch, and subtle layering of fats that keep my hand permanently raised for a refill when I visit these restaurants. Dice cucumber and your allium of choice (I usually grab shallots or green onions), quickly blanch some carrots, and boil your potatoes and egg together for a barbecue or party side dish that can come together in 30 minutes. I finish it with generous amounts of Kewpie, a splash of rice vinegar, salt, and pepper to bring the flavors together. — Nicole Adlman, cities manager
Authentic German Potato Salad
AllRecipes
I personally believe that potato salad should involve mayonnaise, but we all have a mayo hater or two in our lives — I married one, unfortunately — and that’s where classic German potato salad comes in. Pretty much everyone can agree that warm potatoes and tender bacon bits soaked in a zingy, mustardy dressing are delicious, especially when you add tons of herbs like parsley and dill. And while you may be tempted to skip the sugar in this recipe, don’t — you need that little bit of sweetness to balance the richness of the bacon and the acidity of the vinegar. — Amy McCarthy, reporter
Easy Fingerling Potato Salad with Creamy Dill Dressing
J. Kenji López-Alt, Serious Eats
There are a lot of ways a potato salad can go wrong — the worst offenders include undercooked potatoes, an utter lack of seasoning, and of course, too much mayo. This version by J. Kenji López-Alt avoids all of the common pitfalls while staying true to a potato salad that would feel at home at a backyard barbecue or birthday party. A few key changes make all the difference, like starting the potatoes in cold water for a more even cook, letting the potatoes expel their steam and cool fully before dressing them, and incorporating rice wine vinegar for an acidic contrast. The result is a herby potato salad slicked in mayonnaise that keeps me going back for more. — Rebecca Roland, associate editor
Crispy Smashed Potato Salad With Tater Tots
Liz Miu
One thing that most potato salads lack is texture. For this reason, I’ve never really been a fan of classic potato salad (too much mush and mayo for me) and I tend to prefer versions that start with grilled or roasted potatoes. So you can imagine my intrigue when I saw this crispy smashed potato salad from content creator Liz Miu. Miu uses Tater Tots, which she smashes and bakes for maximum crispy, craggy corners. The cooked potatoes get tossed in an herb-heavy mayo and Greek yogurt base. Although this take on potato salad doesn’t sit as well as the classic kind — Miu cautions that it’ll go soggy after a while — I appreciate how texturally varied it is. And since Tater Tots can be thrown into an air fryer instead of the oven, this recipe can also be fast, hands-off, and pretty low in dirty dishes. — Bettina Makalintal, senior reporter
A Better Potato Salad
The Kitchenista Diaries
During my childhood, I was lucky enough to have a mother who won the gold medal in what I called the potato salad games. She was frequently asked to bring her recipe to any gathering, and it was a source of pride for her to arrive with a massive bowl that disappeared quickly. She hasn’t made her beloved potato salad in years and cannot recall the exact ingredients or measurements, having previously committed the dish to memory. Thankfully, I became obsessed with Angela Davis’s (aka the Kitchenista) potato salad years ago. I’ve always trusted Davis’s instincts and her combination of skin-on red potatoes, red onion, boiled eggs, dill pickles, dill weed, and dollops of mustard and mayonnaise further cemented that trust. Like its egg salad cousin, potato salad is quite forgiving if you add or subtract celery salt or use something other than Old Bay seasoning. Over the years, I’ve made minor adjustments to the recipe, but no matter how I deviate, the serving container returns to my home empty. The Kitchenista’s Patreon is a well-organized stockpile that will inevitably come in handy beyond this summertime staple, so be sure to sign up for it. — Mona Holmes, reporter
