When it comes to hearty tater dishes, potato salad is one of the most beloved sides around the world, especially for BBQs, picnics, and potlucks. There are many ways to enhance potato salads, from adding bacon and dill pickles to boiled eggs and paprika, but achieving peak potato salad flavor may be more challenging than it seems. Choosing the right kind of potatoes and using high-quality fresh herbs are important, but ensuring the potatoes are flavorful is vital: You can cook your spuds to perfection and have the freshest scallions in town, but if the potatoes and the dressing aren’t properly integrated, it can lead to disappointing results.
According to Martha Stewart, the key is to toss your sliced potatoes in the dressing while they are still warm. Stewart advocates this hot potato approach because it allows the potatoes to fully soak up the flavor of the dressing in both their interior and across their surface, making for a much more cohesive tasting experience. That said, this technique only works for potato salads made with a vinaigrette dressing. It’s not recommended for American-style potato salad, which uses a mayonnaise-based dressing and is usually served cold. In fact, Stewart’s technique is similar to that for German potato salad, which is served warm as it also does not include mayo.
What about mayonnaise-based potato salads?
Attempting Martha Stewart’s tip with a mayonnaise dressing could produce disastrous results. The heat will break down the mayonnaise, creating a clumpy mess. The key to nailing the American-style potato salad is to make sure your potatoes have completely cooled down before introducing any mayonnaise. That doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate Stewart’s trick into a creamy potato salad recipe, though. Here’s how: Pre-soak your freshly boiled spuds in vinegar or pickle juice (or simply boil your potatoes in pickle juice instead of water) before letting them cool down for at least half an hour, ideally much longer. Once they are cool, add the mayonnaise dressing. You’ve just taken your potato salad flavor profile to the next level with a delightful tanginess.
The best way to make sure you can perfect this two-step process is to cook the potatoes ahead of time. For potato salad newbies, it’s good to also note that it’s better to cube the potatoes before you cook them, and to make sure to start them off in cold water so they cook evenly throughout. If you follow these tips, you’ll easily have tasty, perfect potato salad for that next potluck.
