There is no end to the ways you can make potato salad. Start with cooked (boiled, roasted) waxy potatoes (like baby Yukon gold or red bliss) and then:
peel or not peel — it’s up to you
use them alone or with other solid ingredients such as chopped bell pepper, celery and/or some kind of onion (scallion, chive, shallot, etc.), thawed frozen peas, hard cooked egg chunks, cooked beans or chick peas, capers, anchovies, pickles — and so on. You can even add leftover cooked fish, poultry or meat to make a dinner salad.
season the salad with chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, oregano, dill, thyme and such), dried herbs, chopped chili pepper, spices such as curry powder, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, Dijon mustard, wasabi, horseradish — etc. etc. etc.
dress the salad with: oil (olive, avocado, peanut, etc.) and vinegar (white or red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, Balsamic) or some other acidic liquid such as lemon juice. For a richer flavor add some mayo, plain yogurt, buttermilk or dairy sour cream.
You get the point — I could write an entire book devoted to potato salad. These are just a few ideas.
Yesterday I taught a class about potato salad for the New Canaan YMCA. This is one of the versions I made for the class.
Happy summer although, I’m sure you know, potato salad is never out of season.
Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs
2 pounds small waxy potatoes
lightly salted water
1/4 cup mayo
3 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley or other herbs (such as rosemary, oregano, thyme, dill, marjoram, etc.)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place the potatoes (with their skins intact) in a saucepan, cover with lightly salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain under cold water and peel, if desired. Cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, olive oil, wine vinegar and mustard together until the mixture is uniform in color. Pour over the potatoes. Sprinkle with the herbs and salt and pepper if desired. Toss the ingredients and let rest at least 1 hour before serving.
Makes 6-8 servings