If there's one side dish that always belongs at a Southern cookout, it's potato salad. I've been making this Southern Potato Salad with a Twist for more than 30 years. I can honestly say that it's the only potato salad recipe I ever want to make.
This potato salad is creamy, flavorful, loaded with crunchy veggies. Its perfectly balanced tangy dressing includes sweet gherkins, hard-cooked eggs, and one unexpected ingredient that gives a little extra color and texture - shredded carrots.
But the real secret to this potato salad isn't just the dressing. It's the potato masher.
Years ago, I carefully cooked the potatoes so they would hold their perfect shape. Then, my husband walked into the kitchen, grabbed the potato masher, and, to my horror, lightly mashed the potatoes right into the dressing. I was convinced that he had ruined the potato salad, but I was wrong.
That simple step transformed the texture completely, allowing the potatoes to soak. up the dressing and creating the creamiest Southern Potato Salad imaginable. From that day forward, the potato masher became the integral part of the process.
Whether you're serving this potato salad for Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, family cookouts, potlucks, or simple family dinners, this tried and true recipe will always quickly disappear.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Servings: 10-12
- Small-Batch Friendly: Yes - just halve the ingredients
- Best Potatoes: Russet potatoes
- Secret Technique: Lightly mash the potatoes after mixing
- Difficulty: Easy
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Yes - even better the next day
- Perfect For: Memorial Day, 4th of July, cookouts, potlucks, family dinners
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Creamy, flavorful texture with perfectly seasoned dressing
- Potato masher trick creates incredible texture
- Family-tested and precise recipe for more than 30 years
- Even better after chilling overnight
What Makes This Potato Salad Different?
Four things make this Southern potato salad stand out from the rest.
- The Potato Masher Trick: Instead of leaving the cooked potatoes perfectly cubed, I lightly mash them with a potato masher after mixing in the dressing. This allows the potatoes to absorb the dressing while still maintaining its texture. The result is creamy, cohesive potato salad instesd of dry chunks coated in a mayonnaise dressing.
- Dry Mustard: Instead of using prepared mustard, this recipe uses dry mustard. Dry mustard adds flavor without overpowering the dressing, or changing the texture.
- Shredded Carrots: Carrots are an unusual ingredient in potato salad. However, they add a subtle sweetness, color, and crunch without dominating the flavor.
- Ricing the Egg Yolks: I don't like clumps of egg yolks in my potato salad. Therefore, I rice the egg yolks. This does two things. First, no clumps. Second, the yolks add to the creaminess of the potato salad.
Ingredients: Here's What You'll Need
- Potatoes: I like to use russet potatoes in this recipe.
- Veggies: One of this recipe's hallmarks is adding lots of veggies for crunch. Specifically, I add onions, celery, shredded sweet gherkins, and shredded carrots.
- Eggs: I also add hard-cooked eggs to the recipe.
- Dressing: The main ingredient in the dressing for this potato salad is mayonnaise. However, I thin the mayonnaise with apple cider vinegar and sweet gherkin juice. I also flavor the dressing with granulated sugar, dry mustard, Kosher salt, and black pepper.
How to Make Southern Potato Salad: Step-by-Step
- Cook the Potatoes: Place the peeled and cubed potatoes in a large saucepan. Cover with water, add salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the potatoes until they are tender, but not mushy, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes well.
- Make the Dressing: While the potatoes cook, whisk together mayonnaise, cider vinegar, sweet gherkin juice, sugar, dry mustard, salt, and pepper in a large measuring cup or bowl. Add the onions, celery, shredded gherkins, shredded carrots, chopped egg whites, and riced egg yolks. Stir well to combine.
- Combine Everything: Return the drained potatoes to the same pan used for cooking. Then, pour the dressing mixture over the potatoes, and stir with a silicone or wooden spoon until combined.
- The Secret Step: Using a potato masher, lightly mash the potato salad five or six times. This breaks down some of the potatoes and creates the creamy texture that makes this recipe so good.
- Chill: Transfer the potato salad to a covered dish and refrigerate for several hours before serving. The flavor gets even better after chilling overnight. If desired, garnish with paprika and chopped chives before serving.
Some recipes come and go over the years. This isn't one of them. This Southern Style Potato Salad with a Twist has been part of our family table for decades. After all these years, I would't change a thing.
If you try this recipe, I'd love to hear what you think, especially whether you try the masher trick!
Frequently Asked Questions
It's best to wait for the potatoes to come to room temperature before adding the dressing. This allows the mayonnaise to retain its consistency.
There are a few reasons why potato salad might get watery. One reason is that the potatoes were not drained well enough after boiling them. Another reason is that too much mayonnaise or other liquid ingredients were added. Finally, if the dressing was added to hot potatoes, the heat from the potatoes could impact the consistency of the mayonnaise and make the salad watery.
Potato salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Chula's Test Kitchen Tips and Tricks
- Russet potatoes work best in this recipe. The reason is that I use a potato masher to blend the dressing with the potatoes. However, if you'd prefer to forego the mashing, Yukon gold or red potatoes would be perfect.
- If you like extra celery in your potato salad as we do, then add several additional stalks of celery, finely chopped.
- You might think that shredded carrots are an odd addition to potato salad. However, they add a nice color and crunch without dominating the flavor. If desired, however, you can leave the carrots out.
- To perfectly hard-cook eggs, remove from the refrigerator and steam the eggs for about 12 ½ minutes. If you'd like more information about why steaming is superior to hard-boiling eggs, check out Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs Every Time.
- I like to crumble the egg yolks between my hands rather than chop the yolks. The reason is that I don't especially like to bite into a piece of egg yolk. This is, however, a personal preference.
Other Delicious Salads That Are Perfect for Any Occasion
This potato salad is perfect for cookouts or any time. However, you should also check out these amazing salads:
- Classic Southern Macaroni Salad
- Classic Southern Seven-Layer Salad (Spectacular Side Dish)
- Cucumber Dill Salad (Gurkensalat) - A Taste of Hamburg
- Tomato Vidalia Onion and Cucumber Summer Salad
- Creamy Southern Coleslaw - Quick and Easy Classic
- Chicken Caesar Salad Cups
- Southern Fried Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard
- Tex-Mex Layered Salad
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Southern Style Potato Salad with a Twist
Equipment
- large saucepan
- colander
- 8-cup measuring cup or large bowl
- Silicone or wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 4 pounds russet potatoes (peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups) (See Tip 1)
- 1 cup (8 ounces) Mayonnaise
- 3 Tablespoons (1.5 ounces) apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons (1.5 ounces sweet pickle or gherkin juice
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ to 1 medium red or sweet yellow onion finely chopped (about a cup - more or less depending on taste)
- 5 stalks celery, finely chopped (about 1 ½ cups) (See Tip 2)
- 8 small sweet pickles or gherkins, shredded
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded (See Tip 3)
- 4 hard-cooked eggs peeled; whites chopped and yolks riced or crumbled (See Tips 4 and 5)
- Paprika and chopped chives for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Add water to cover the potatoes, plus 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt. Cook potatoes in salted water until tender (about 15 to 20 minutes), but not mushy. Pour into a colander; drain well. Return to the pan or place in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, gherkin juice, sugar, dry mustard, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add the onions, celery, shredded gherkins, shredded carrots, chopped egg whites, and riced egg yolks; stir well to combine. Pour the mayonnaise mixture over the potatoes; toss gently with a silicone or wooden spoon until the potatoes are thoroughly coated.
- Plunge a potato masher into the mixture five or six times into the mixture to lightly break up the potatoes.
- Cover, and chill thoroughly. If desired, garnish with papriks and chopped chives.
- Yield: 10 to 12 servings.
Video
Tips/Notes
- Russet potatoes work best in this recipe. The reason is that I use a potato masher to blend the dressing with the potatoes. However, if you'd prefer to forego the mashing, Yukon gold or red potatoes would be perfect.
- If you like extra celery in your potato salad as we do, then add several additional stalks of celery, finely chopped.
- You might think that shredded carrots are an odd addition to potato salad. However, they add a nice color and crunch without dominating the flavor. If desired, however, you can leave the carrots out.
- For Perfect Hard-Cooked Eggs every time, steam them.
- I like to either rice or crumble the egg yolks between my hands rather than chop the yolks. The reason is that I don't especially like to bite into a piece of egg yolk. This is, however, a personal preference.
Krystyna Kaniewski says
I've been making this recepie all my life with my mom and we always used these ingredients especially the carrots plus the white part chopped from green onions in the salad and the green parts chopped on top of the salad as garnish and a spring of leafy celery in the middle to decorate.
Chula King says
Hi Krystyna,
Like you, I've been using this recipe for potato salad for as long as I can remember. I never even think about deviating from it - it's just that good!
I love your idea of using the green parts of the onion for a garnish and a sprig of leafy celery in the middle for decoration!
Chula
Dianne E Bell says
I like the recipe for potato salad especially the carrots and dry mustard. I put a twist in mines by adding a red apple. I boil it when potatoes are almost done so they're still crunchy.
Chula King says
Yum - that sounds delicious Dianne!
Chula