We do a lot of things right in the South, especially when it comes to Potato Salad! This classic Southern Style Potato Salad with a Twist is perfect for Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Labor Day, or anytime for that matter. It's good served warm but even better served cold after the flavors have had a chance to meld together!
I've been making this potato salad longer than I care to remember. Whether I serve it at home or take it to a potluck, it's always a huge hit. In fact, the Master Taste Tester's face always lights up when I announce that I'm going to make a batch of potato salad!
Jump to:
What's the Twist?
What's the "twist," you might ask? Well, it's the addition of shredded carrots for color and a very subtle taste and the use of dry mustard in place of prepared mustard. It's also the Master Taste Tester, lightly breaking up the potatoes with a potato masher to perfectly blend all of the ingredients together!
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. Specifically, I add celery, onions, shredded carrots, and shredded sweet gherkins.
- Eggs: I also add hard-boiled 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 Kosher salt, granulated sugar, dry mustard, and black pepper.
Cooking the Potatoes
- I started by peeling and cutting the potatoes into about 1-inch cubes. Then, I added the potatoes to a 4-quart saucepan and covered them with salted water. I brought the water to a boil, lowered the heat to medium, and cooked the potatoes until they were soft. This took about 20 minutes.
- When they were done, I drained the potatoes in a strainer.
Here's How I Made the Dressing
While the potatoes were cooking, I made the dressing. To do this, I started by adding salt, pepper, dry mustard, and sugar to the mayonnaise. I generally do this in an 8-cup measuring cup, but could just as easily use a large bowl. Then, I added the cider vinegar and pickle juice (Photo 1).
I whisked the mixture to combine everything (Photo 2).
Next, I added the onions, celery, shredded pickles, shredded carrots, and eggs (Photo 3).
I gave the mixture a stir to ensure that everything was well mixed (Photo 4).
Putting the Southern Potato Salad Together
To save on cleaning, I rinsed and dried the pan that the potatoes were cooked in.
Then, I dumped the cooked and drained potatoes into the pan. Next, I poured the dressing over the potatoes.
I used a wooden spoon to mix all ingredients together. As a final step, the Master Taste Tester plunged the potato masher into the mixture five or six times.
In the early days, I worked incredibly hard to ensure that the potatoes were perfectly cooked to retain their shape. However, one day, the Master Taste Tester pulled out the potato masher and, to my horror, proceeded to “mash” my perfectly formed potatoes!
The result, however, was really good. It caused the potatoes to somewhat “soak” up the dressing and produced a creamier potato salad. From that day on, I’ve called on the Master Taste Tester to use the potato masher in the last blending step.
As a final step, I transferred the potato salad to a bowl and covered and refrigerated it.
This classic Southern Style Potato Salad with a Twist was a perfect addition to your dinner. Yum!
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.
Recipe 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-boil eggs, remove from the refrigerator and steam the eggs for about 12 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 (With Video)
- 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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Recipe
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Southern Style Potato Salad with a Twist
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 apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons sweet pickle or gherkin juice
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 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-boiled eggs peeled; whites chopped and yolks crumbled (See Tips 4 and 5)
- Paprika and chopped chives for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Add water to cover the potatoes and one tablespoon of Kosher salt. Cook potatoes in salted water until done (should be soft but not mushy), 15 to 20 minutes. Pour into a colander; drain well. Place in a large bowl.
- Mix mayonnaise and the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well to combine. Pour the mayonnaise mixture over the potatoes; toss gently with a wooden spoon until the potatoes are thoroughly coated.
- Plunge a potato masher five or six times into the mixture to lightly break up the potatoes. Cover, and chill thoroughly. If desired, garnish with paprika and chopped chives or chopped parsley. Yield: 10 to 12 servings.
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-Boiled Eggs every time, steam them.
- 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.
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