How to make red potato salad

Our Red Potato Salad is creamy and full of flavor. This salad is perfect for your Summer picnics, get togethers, and BBQs, and will certainly be a hit for all who try it!

I was never a huge fan of potato salad. Every potato salad that I tried, and that claimed to be “the best”, seemed to have an overpowering flavor of vinegar.

I tended to just steer away from potato salad, until I met my husband.

After we went on a few dates, I met his mom and dad and we all decided to go on a picnic one weekend. His mother brought her unique potato salad. Great. Well, hers was different, as it was hardboiled egg and potato salad! Not only that, but it also didn’t have much vinegar in it. I fell in love with her and her delicious potato salad that day! After my husband and I got married, she taught me (in person) how to make it, and now I am thrilled to share with you how to make perfect red potato salad every time!

Perfect Red Potato Salad

There are four things that make this red potato salad recipe what it is (perfect!). When you make this recipe, please don’t change these things, or it just won’t be the same.

Do you put hardboiled eggs in potato salad?

I wouldn’t say it’s a 50/50 ratio between the potatoes and the eggs, but it’s close! You can add as many hardboiled eggs as you want of course.

Honestly, this potato salad recipe would also be really tasty without eggs, if you are allergic or just don’t care for them, but if you can add eggs, definitely do! It is not only the flavor, but the texture of the hardboiled eggs with the texture of the potatoes that just work so well together.

What kind of potatoes should I use for potato salad?

Red potatoes should be used when making potato salad! Not only are they a little “sweet” and have an excellent flavor, but red potatoes are a good source of Vitamin C and essential iron!

Red potatoes are firmer than russets when boiled, which keeps your potato salad from turning mushy. Yellow or Gold potatoes are also a flavorful, firm potato that would be another option if red potatoes aren’t available.

If you want truly perfect potato salad every time, then I’d have to recommend that you don’t use Russet or any type of brown potato for this particular recipe for potato salad just wouldn’t be the same.

Cook the onions WITH the potatoes

When you look at the ingredient list, you might assume that the onions will go in with the other ingredients. Nope! They will be boiled along with the potatoes.

Do you boil potatoes with the skin on?

When you leave the skin on the potatoes when boiling them, it keeps too much water from being absorbed by the potatoes. We definitely don’t want watery, mushy potatoes for potato salad. Another plus is that I know the potatoes are cooked just right when the skin/peel starts to crack open.

Those are the biggest points for my recipe. If you follow the directions on the card carefully, you should come out with the perfect picnic potato salad made with red potatoes and lots of hardboiled eggs, to take on your summer outings. Or just enjoy at home for a side dish!

A recipe to be passed down through the generations

My mother-in-law passed away many years ago, but my daughter also loves this recipe. I have shown her how to make her Grandma’s Perfect Red Potato Salad recipe as well, and I am thrilled that this recipe can be passed on down the line for generations to come.

To this day, I can proudly treat my husband to a big batch of his mom’s amazing red potato salad (with plenty of hardboiled eggs –  just like she used to make it). It is perfect every time, and I know she would be proud.

WHAT INGREDIENTS DO I NEED TO MAKE RED POTATO SALAD?

Red potatoes, Red wine vinegar, eggs, onion, celery seed, yellow mustard, mayonnaise, sweet relish, garlic salt, sugar, onion salt, and sour cream. 

If you are looking for a potato side dish to serve with hamburgers or hot dogs, this would be perfect. Or combine our Perfect Red Potato Salad with our Pine Nut and Cranberry Picnic Chicken Salad Sandwiches for the perfect Sunday potluck lunch or 4th of July picnic! 

Yield: 12

Perfect Red Potato Salad

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A creamy red potato salad that doesn't have an overwhelming vinegar flavor. It it mild but full of flavor. If you want to know how to make perfect potato salad, this is the recipe you want. It's a potato salad that has a lot of hard boiled eggs in it and it melts in your mouth. It's a perfect potato salad for a picnic too!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 8 medium to large red potatoes
• 8 hard boiled eggs
• 1 large yellow onion
• 1/4 cup sweet relish
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. onion salt
• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Instructions

I usually hard boil the eggs the day before making potato salad, or the morning of.

Bring large pot of water to a boil. While water is coming to a boil, slice yellow onion into quarters. After water has come to a boil, add onions and whole unpeeled potatoes. Boil on low until the potato peels start to crack (approx. 40 minutes or so - times vary since potatoes vary so much in size). They should be firm but cooked through. When the peels crack, that is a good time to poke them with a fork and see how they are doing (or pull one out and cut it in half). Do not overcook! They should be slightly firm. Remove from heat and pour into colander. Gently rinse with cold water.

While the potatoes are boiling, make the dressing. Combine all of the ingredients (besides the potatoes, onion, and eggs) in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Taste dressing after it is all combined, keeping in mind that the flavors will meld the longer they sit. This recipe doesn't have the typical strong vinegar taste that most potato salads have, so plan on it being more mild. It is a little bit sweet and very mild. Add a little more of the onion or garlic salt if you need a little zip, or maybe a little mustard. If it has too much of either of those, add a bit more mayo or sour cream, sugar or relish might help. Remember go easy on the vinegar. To me, that is the beauty (and difference) of this recipe.

When the potatoes have cooled, use a small paring knife to remove the peels. You may be able to kind of "slide" the peels off with your hands. Cut the potatoes into cubes about 1" size and place in a large bowl. After they are all cut up, pour the dressing over the top. Gently fold the dressing with the potatoes, using a large rubber spatula. At the very end, chop the eggs (they don't have to be perfect pieces), and add them to the potato salad, and fold in just a few times. Refrigerate. Right before serving, give it a taste. You may need to add a little more of an ingredient or two. Also, sometimes the potatoes soak up some of the dressing so you might want to add a little more mayo if that is the case, and give it a quick, gentle stir. Sprinkle lightly with paprika, season salt before serving, to add a bit of color.