Red Skin Potato Salad

Who doesn’t love a good o’l red skin potato salad? This hearty, summertime red skin potato salad side is a crowd-pleaser at cookouts, potlucks, and family dinners. 

This delicious red skin potato salad is made with a creamy dressing that combines ingredients like mayonnaise, sour cream, fresh garlic, red onion, mustard, and fresh herbs like dill and chives.

Why you'll love this recipe

• EASY: Potato salad is pretty easy to make. You just need to boil some potatoes and make a tasty dressing to slather them in, and voila, that’s literally it!
• QUICK: The prep time for this recipe is 10-15 minutes total, and you can even make this recipe ahead of time and store it in your fridge until you’re ready to serve it. 
• VERSATILE: Potato salad is a popular side dish for summer barbeques and picnics, but it’s also a great option for weeknight dinners, potlucks, and really any occasion. 
• VARIETY: Did you know there are over 4,500 varieties of potatoes? That’s right, and you can use whichever type you like in this potato salad! Just like our red skin garlic mashed potatoes recipe, we’re using red potatoes.

Ingredients

• POTATOES: This recipe uses baby/mini red potatoes, but you can use whichever type you like best! You will need 3 pounds worth. 
• MAYONAISE: Mayo adds tanginess and creaminess to the potato salad. Use ½ cup. 
• SOUR CREAM: Similar to the mayo, the sour cream makes this potato salad tangy and creamy. ½ cup is needed. 
• MUSTARD: Mustard gives a crisp and tart flavor to this potato salad. This recipe uses dijon, but you can also use regular yellow mustard. Use 1 tablespoon.
• VINEGAR: Red wine vinegar is used in this recipe but you can also use white. The vinegar adds acidity to that helps breaks up some of the creaminess. Use 1 tablespoon. 
• FRESH GARLIC: 1 fresh garlic clove adds a ton of flavor to this recipe after being shredded. 
• FRESH HERBS: ¼ cup of chopped dill and 2 tablespoons of chopped chives are added to the dressing for a fresh and earthy flavor. 
• ONION: The perfect onion for a salad is a red onion! It's sweeter and super flavorful and commonly and favorably eaten raw. Thinly slice ¼ cup worth. 
• SALT AND PEPPER: To enhance the flavor of this dish add 1 teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.

Kitchen Tools

• LARGE POT: For boiling the potatoes. 
• STRAINER/COLANDER: For straining the cooked potatoes.
• CUTTING BOARD: For chopping the fresh herbs. 
• MICROPLANE: For shredding the garlic (you can also chop/mice it with a knife if you prefer, but shredding it releases a lot more flavor more evenly). 
• MIXING BOWLS: You will need 1 medium-sized mixing bowl for making the dressing, and 1  large bowl for making an ice bath, and another large bowl for serving the potato salad. 
• MEASURING SPOONS AND CUPS: For measuring and adding the ingredients. 

Instructions

1. Cook: Rinse the potatoes with water to remove any dirt from them. Fill a large pot with water about ¾ way full, turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil them for 10-15 minutes, just until a fork pierces through. Do not overcook, or the potatoes will be mushy!
2. Chill: Fill a large bowl with cold water and a handful or two of ice. Once the potatoes are cooked, strain and rinse them with cold water and add them to this ice bath while you make the dressing.
3. Mix: In a separate large bowl, combine and mix the remaining ingredients to create a dressing. 
4. Slice: Strain the chilled potatoes, pat them dry with a paper towel, and slice them into halves or quarters. 
5. Combine: Add and mix the potatoes with the dressing. Chill for at least 15 minutes before serving. 

Recipe Tips

• Don’t overcook the potatoes. No one wants a mushy potato salad! As the potatoes boil, do a few test pokes every few minutes. Once your fork pierces through without resistance, the potatoes are ready!
• Use fresh herbs. Fresh dill and chives make a huge difference! These aromatic herbs add a burst of fresh flavor, a crisp bite, and beautiful color to this potato salad. 

Recipe FAQs

Alternative Ingredients

• Fingerling Potatoes: fingerling potatoes are long and thin with a waxy texture and a slightly nutty flavor.
• Yukon Gold Potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes have a thin skin and a buttery texture, a slightly sweet flavor and are perfect for salads with creamy dressings.
• Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt can be a healthier alternative to sour cream and mayo in potato salad. It has a similar texture and tangy flavor that can be easily combined with the other ingredients for a creamy dressing.

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