Homemade Potato Salad

Tired of bland, mushy potato salad? Try this tasty rendition of homemade potato salad for your next potluck barbeque. Just don’t expect to bring any home.

I needed to find a potato salad recipe for just such a potluck because someone else claimed the macaroni salad. I really like my macaroni salad, but you have to have more than one go-to option in the recipe box!

How to Make Homemade Potato Salad

I believe it was my sister-in-law, years ago, who first introduced me to baked potato salad. It was a revelation – when the potatoes are diced and then baked without boiling, they prevent the mushiness that some potato salads get.

I feel like baking the potatoes in this way saves a bit of time as well. I don’t usually peel the potatoes if I bake them, and they will cool down faster than large boiled potatoes.

All that said, if you truly like the boiled potatoes, make it that way. I will still eat it, because this dressing is tasty!

Of course, besides the change of potatoes, I added dill to the dressing. All summer salads (and some winter ones too) should have some dill!

I have also added more mayonnaise! Unlike my chicken salad, this recipe needs plenty. All these summer salads, we are out of mayo again.

Note, these pictures are of a double recipe.

Getting started, dice 5 potatoes, about 4-5 cups, into half inch pieces. In a bowl mix them with just 1-2 tablespoons of oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper or seasoning salt.

Lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Parchment paper has also changed my life. If you don’t use it, you probably need more oil, and the potatoes will still stick to the pan. With parchment paper, the oil can be kept to a minimum, and there’s no scraping potatoes off the bottom of the pan, or having to clean baked-on potato.

Bake the potatoes at 425˚F for about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through (thank you parchment). If serving the potato salad fresh, the potatoes can be quite golden and crispy. If making ahead, it might be better to go a little lighter on the baking so they don’t get leathery when cooled and mixed with dressing.

Boil three eggs. Do not use farm fresh eggs – they are a pain to peel. Sometimes a bit of baking soda in the water helps with this. But in this case eggs that have sat a few days or a week, like store-bought eggs, are better.

You all know how to cook eggs. Cover eggs in water in a saucepan, bring to a boil and boil for seven minutes. Drain and cool. Put in cold water for faster cooling.

Overboiling the eggs will turn the yolks blue. They are still edible, just a little funny looking.

Crack the eggs and slide a teaspoon under the shell for easy peeling.

Chop up the eggs. An egg slicing gadget is nice for this – slice it one way and then the other. But mine finally kicked the bucket and I have not replaced it. A knife works.

Finely chop one cup of celery. Usually I don’t have celery, so the salad goes without, though I am trying to grow some in the garden this year, under mulch to help with its voracious thirst. I was pointed to some of its health benefits, so I’m making the effort.

Finely chop half a cup of onion, green onion or chives. Purple or green onions add a lovely bit of colour. Add these to the dressing so they don’t clump in the salad. This also goes for the relish and dill, which you might be tempted to add directly to the salad.

You can use relish or diced pickles for this potato salad. It adds a nice tanginess.

For the dressing combine the onion, relish or pickles, mayonnaise, mustard, minced garlic or garlic powder or salt, chopped dill, salt and pepper in a separate bowl. Mix well.

Good mayonnaise improves a recipe. We like Hellman’s or Kirkland brands.

I like to go heavy on the dill. Keep that in mind if you prefer less.

I’m trying to add more garlic to our diet for health benefits as well. Fresh garlic is best (benefits are gone within two days of crushing, powdered garlic benefits are minimal due to heat processing). More on that some other time.

The dressing can be made ahead of time to meld the flavours, or the whole salad can be mixed together ahead of time or just before serving.

This homemade potato salad has become my go-to salad recipe this year. It is nicely filling and satisfying, and the dill – mmm. Try this one for your next barbeque.

Check out these recipes as well:

Homemade Chicken Salad

Best Ever Homemade Iced Tea Concentrate

Platz Fruit Dessert Square Bar