In Photos: How To Make Potato Salad
Step 1: Prep
Cut the potatoes into bite-sized cubes.
My favorite kind of potato for potato salad (or just about anything else, really) is russet. They’re versatile (you can use them for anything from potato soup to scalloped potatoes to stuffed potato skins to mashed potatoes) and they always cook up fluffy and delish.
But you can use any kind of potatoes you like! I think Yukon gold potatoes could also work well here, as well as red bliss potatoes.
Leave the skins on or take them off? It’s entirely up to you. For the photos and videos you see here, I chose to peel the potatoes. But I also like a skin-on potato salad just as well. To me, it seems to make the potatoes taste even more potato-ey. Which I’m always down for.
Put them in a large pot. Cover them with cold water.
Add salt to the water and bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat.
Step 2: Cook
Lower the heat and simmer the potatoes until fork-tender. To check for doneness, insert the point of a sharp knife. If it goes in and comes back out easily, the potatoes are done. This usually takes 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how big your potato pieces are.
Step 3: Sprinkle Vinegar
Drain the potatoes well. While they’re still warm, sprinkle them with a little vinegar. This helps them soak up extra flavor.
Step 4: Make Sauce
In a large bowl, mix together the chopped hard-boiled eggs, diced celery, diced onion, mayonnaise, the rest of the vinegar, yellow mustard, and celery seed.
Celery seed is, to me, what gives potato salad its signature flavor. When I taste it, it takes me back to every backyard cookout I’ve ever enjoyed.
For the mustard, I like plain old yellow mustard, but you could also use a dijon mustard or a grainy mustard, if you really want to take things up a notch. I think a dijon potato salad with fresh tarragon sounds lovely, and a grainy mustard version with bacon would be so hearty and delicious as well.
Stir until the dressing is smooth and everything is well mixed.
Gently fold in the warm potatoes. Try not to overmix, so the potatoes keep their shape.
Taste the salad and add salt and pepper if needed.
Move the potato salad to a serving bowl and garnish with paprika and fresh chives if you like.