World’s Best Potato Salad
Potato Salad is no stranger to any culture. Most regions have a version of it, and rightly so. Potatoes are perfect for transferring just about any flavor. In the South, a potato salad with creamy mayonnaise and pickles is essential at any BBQ. It also graces just about every holiday table.
This is the potato salad my granny used to make to go as a side with her famous vegetable soup. I have tweaked this recipe several times, but I always end up reverting back to her original potato salad. It really cannot be improved.
The Secrets to Making the Best Potato Salad on the Planet!!
Here are some tips and tricks that I learned from my Granny Gray.
The Star: Tender New Potatoes
Like Granny Gray, I use chunks of new potatoes with the peels on. Those little red potatoes give the salad a pop of color. However, you can use yukon gold potatoes, russets, or whatever your personal preference.
Hard-boiled eggs are also a must for a classic potato salad. They add protein, and the egg yolks along with dijon or yellow mustard add that creamy yellow color. The ones with the best flavor and nutrition are from free-range chickens!
Boil the potatoes in a medium or large pot until they are fork tender or until a knife slices easily through them. Be sure to start with cold water. That helps ensure the potatoes cook through evenly. To keep the potatoes from falling apart, be sure not to overcook.
The Crunch: Dill Pickle, Celery, and Onion
I think the secret to Granny’s recipe is that she adds equal parts dill pickle and celery. Truly that is why it tastes so good! You can add sweet pickles for a different flavor, but dill to me is the best. Pickle relish also works if you don’t feel like doing all that mincing.
Sweet vidalia onions are just perfect for this potato salad. You can also use red onion if you want that extra bit of color.
The Potato Salad Dressing: Mayo and More
Potatoes don’t have much flavor on their own. That’s why the best potato salad recipe is the one with the best dressing!
My Granny Gray always used homemade mayonnaise. In my opinion, homemade beats store-bought mayo or Miracle Whip every time. I have a recipe for homemade mayonnaise in my Tracking the Outdoors In cookbook (p. 67). But if you don’t have time, you can still make a great potato salad. As long as you use a good quality mayo, you should be fine. My preferences if I don’t make homemade are Hellmann’s and Duke’s.
The Toppings: Fresh Herbs
Fresh parsley adds color, flavor, and vitamins to a potato salad. You can also garnish with chives or green onions. Many people like to sprinkle on paprika –it certainly won’t hurt!
Prepping the Veggies: Size Matters
All sizes are not created equal in potato salad ingredients. No one wants a huge chunk of onion and barely a flavor of pickle or celery. I like to almost mince my ingredients and make all the vegetables the same size. The potatoes need to be the show-stopping vegetable, and therefore should be larger than those playing the smaller parts.
I love potato salad because it works so well as a side dish with any type of main course, but it goes especially well with red meat.
If you’re looking for the perfect dish to take to a potluck or any type of gathering, look no further because this is it. It travels well, and guests usually can’t resist helping themselves to a second or third scoop of the stuff when they pass by it on the food table.
Granny Gray’s Potato Salad Recipe
World’s Best Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 8 small new potatoes
- 2 boiled eggs
- 1 1/2 vidalia onions minced
- 1/2 cup dill pickles
- 4 celery stalks minced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the new potatoes into four pieces, roughly 1.5 inches each. There’s no need to remove the skins. Place potatoes in a medium-sized saucepan and boil until they’re soft enough that a knife will easily slice through them.
- Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl add the onions, pickles, mayonnaise, mustard, celery, salt, and pepper.
- Drain potatoes until they appear dried and place them in a bowl with the mayonnaise mixture.
- Add chopped boiled eggs onto the potatoes. Mix gently (I use my hands) so as not to crush the potatoes. Garnish with parsley and serve hot or cold. If you don't serve warm, be sure to get this highly perishable dish into the refrigerator right away.
Yum. Vidalia onions in potato salad. I have to try that. This recipe sounds so good.
Thanks Joanne! I hope you’ll give it a try. I think you’ll really like it.
Your recipes are simple and mouth-watering.
Thanks Dessie!!
Your recipes are simple and mouth-watering.
Absolutely delish! Made recipe as listed. Needed to try a new one .It’s technically almost like mine, if you added a 1/8 cup of sweet pickles.It was a hit with the whole bunch.
Daphne, I am so happy you tried this recipe. My Daughter cuts some of the onions and adds a little more mayo and it is delicious. I use sweet pickles from time to time too. Thanks for commenting.
Oh my gosh. That looks amazing. I’ve never found a potato salad recipe that I wanted to try and make, but I will definitely be trying this. Thank you for sharing.
Love all your recipes, design tips and ideas, etc. Your vivacious personality is inspiring and encouraging along the way! Blessings to you and your family
Thanks Sherry!! I am SUPER glad you are here!! You can’t know how encouraging your words are to me!
Sounds and looks so delicious I will have to try this recipe for sure Thanks Stacy You are the best
Thank you so much Micky!! Enjoy the recipe.
i made this potato salad today. stacys recipes caught my eye when i saw the amount of pepper in them. i love extra pepper. and i mean three times the amount. thanks stacy
I love extra pepper too! It makes all the difference in the world.
This is almost identical to mine. I use more eggs and potatoes. Throw in lots of Italian parsley and dill. Plus red onion not vidalia onion. Whole Foods yellow mustard as well
It sounds great. I’ve used the red onion before and it was very good – it adds a bit of color too!
I use the same ingredients BUT sometimes add sliced radishes, a good french onion dip (or sour cream) and even sliced green olives. Any or all of above. If you don’t like a sweet potato salad, it turns out great!