Real deal Southern potato salad, the one that with get you elevated to potato salad duty for all family barbecues.
Potato salad is serious business in black family households and neighborhoods. Only certain people are allowed to be in charge of the Potato Salad. If it’s not yellow, seasoned well with a good dose of paprika, doesn’t include relish, and absent of eggs it ain’t real potato salad.
And god forbid you add foreign ingredients like raisins. This is the kind of shit that will get you banned from the cook-out and absolutely murder your chef credentials. You could be Marcus Samuelson, Gordon Ramsey, or Bobby Flay and it wouldn’t matter. My people don’t eff around when it comes to potato salad.
If you think I’m kidding, there are articles written by very smart people on matters of the importance of potato salad to black people.
Southern-style Potato Salad Ingredients
- Potatoes – I’m a Yukon guy. Great texture and flavor
- Eggs – eggs are a most for legit potato salad
- Mayo – Miracle Whip was the standard in my house growing up, but after working on that business for a while as an insider I go with Hellman’s or Duke’s. The combination of mayo + sour cream + sweet relish make for a more natural alternative to Miracle Whip.
- Yellow Mustard – Need the tang and the collard to make this pop and for street cred lol
- Sour Cream – under the radar sneaky ingredient that adds some zip and creaminess to the dish
- Celery, Onions, Relish – this is where the crunch comes from. If your potatoes are crunchy, this is not a good look
- Rice Vinegar – is mild so doesn’t compete with the many flavors present, but still has some tanginess and helps with moisture in the potatoes
- Kosher Salt
- Paprika – prefer a good quality smoky sweet paprika for that earthy and smoky flavor.
- Garlic powder
- Sugar – just enough to balance against the many salty/savory ingredients
- Chicken Broth and bay leaf – these along with some salt are used to season the potatoes. You want to season at every level and boiling the potatoes in seasoned liquid is a highly effective way to maximize flavor.
- Fresh dill – finishing touch to add that fresh dill flavor.
How to make potato salad (step by step)
The ingredients and measures are included, but note that I never saw my grandmother measure anything when she made her potato salad and I learned from her. The measurements included are meant to be a guide. You should taste and adjust the seasoning and quantities as needed based on tasting as much as needed.
Step 1: Boil potatoes in seasoned broth (salt, bay leaf, chicken stock, and optional fresh oregano). Drain and set aside.
Step 2: Boil the eggs, then drain and set aside. Peel once cooled.
Step 3: Mix Potatoes with the mayonnaise, mustard, sour cream, and seasonings (sugar, salt, garlic powder, paprika).
Step 4: Add dill, celery, vinegar, and eggs mixing well. Taste for flavor, then adjust with more seasoning and/or mayo and mustard. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the potato salad with fresh dill and a nice smoky paprika. Add as a complimentary side dish to your next cookout featuring BBQ recipes such as these:
Sous Vide Brisket
Smoked Rib Tips
Smoked Pork Spareribs
Smoked Lamb Ribs
Jerk Baby Back Ribs
Grilled Piri Piri Chicken
Tips For Making Potato Salad Southern Style
- Use Yukon potatoes
- Try to dice your ingredients as evenly as possible. Smaller chunks are also better than larger ones. You want each bite to get a mix of the different ingredients vs. only the larger diced potato.
- Bring the water and potatoes to a boil at the same time vs. heating the water first. The potatoes will cook evenly this way.
- Season at each step, especially early. During boiling the potatoes can/will absorb the flavors in the liquid. Boil potatoes in seasoned broth to maximize flavor
- This is a recipe for potato salad not mashed potatoes, so don’t cook the potatoes to a super soft texture. They should be creamy in the center with a fair amount of disintegration on the outside.
- The sour cream and mayo add a certain level of richness, so you’ll want some acidity from the rice vinegar to break up the dairy richness.
- Don’t add the mayo too early. Wait till the potatoes are close to room temperature otherwise, the potato salad will end up very oily. Waiting to mix the ingredients with the potatoes also provides the needed time for the water to evaporate. Trust me, you don’t want a watery potato salad. That’s another no-no. The more evaporation the better the dressing mix clings to the potatoes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What type of potatoes are best for southern potato salad?
Starchy type potatoes are the enemy in potato salad. You actually want waxy types like fingerling or even Yukon which is my preferred. Yukon are low in starch and have a smooth texture, plus they’re easy to find.
How do I know when the potatoes are finished?
Both undercooked and overcooked potatoes are absolute no-nos. The key to determining “just-right” is the fork test. The fork should slide in cleanly with just a tiny-bit of resistance.
For other BBQ sides you might like, try these:
Collard Green Salad
Black-eyed Pea Salad
Collard Green Slaw
BBQ Baked Beans
If you make this classic southern potato salad recipe or any other please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.
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Ingredients
- 2 lbs Yukon Potatoes peeled and diced
- 4 Eggs hard-boiled
- 1 cup Mayo
- 3 tbsp Yellow Mustard
- 2 tbsp Sour Cream
- 1 Celery rib diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1/4 cup Sweet Relish
- 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tbsp Paprika plus extra for garnishing
- 1/2 tbsp Garlic powder
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 tbsp Fresh dill
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan add potatoes, broth, bay leaf, and salt. Add water to make sure the potatoes are covered. Bring everything to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for roughly 10 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes. Remove the bay leaf and set potatoes aside.
- Place eggs in the saucepan and add water then boil eggs. Drain and allow to cool before peeling.
- Mix potatoes with the mayonnaise, mustard, sour cream, and seasonings (sugar, salt, garlic powder, paprika). Add dill, celery, vinegar, and eggs mixing well. Taste for flavor, then adjust with more seasoning and/or mayo and mustard. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Garnish with fresh dill and paprika.
Notes
- Use Yukon potatoes
- Try to dice your ingredients as evenly as possible. Smaller chunks are also better than larger ones. You want each bite to get a mix of the different ingredients vs. only the larger diced potato.
- Bring the water and potatoes to a boil at the same time vs. heating the water first. The potatoes will cook evenly this way.
- Season at each step, especially early. During boiling the potatoes can/will absorb the flavors in the liquid. Boil potatoes in seasoned broth to maximize flavor
- This is a recipe for potato salad not mashed potatoes, so don't cook the potatoes to a super soft texture. They should be creamy in the center with a fair amount of disintegration on the outside.
- The sour cream and mayo add a certain level of richness, so you'll want some acidity from the rice vinegar to break up the dairy richness.
- Don't add the mayo too early. Wait till the potatoes are close to room temperature otherwise, the potato salad will end up very oily. Waiting to mix the ingredients with the potatoes also provides the needed time for the water to evaporate. Trust me, you don't want a watery potato salad. That's another no-no. The more evaporation the better the dressing mix clings to the potatoes.
Nutrition
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