Easy Potato salad is comfort food that is simple with few ingredients. It is sweet and salty with a mild tang or acidity. Served as a side dish, it is hearty and filling. With so many meat dishes being prepared for the Christmas season, Potato Salad makes an ideal side dish.

There are countless Potato salad recipes, this is a simple, quick and fool-proof recipe. You can build on this recipe by adding to or changing the ingredients. With an excellent blend of flavours, when done right, it should be creamy and fluffy.

I usually boil my potatoes whole before cutting them, this creates a rough surface that traps the dressing and retains its flavours better. Cucumbers add a freshness to the salad. You will need to be more aggressive with your seasoning because seasoning mellows in cold food and your easy potato salad will be served cold or at room temperature.

Make sure potatoes are completely cooled before adding mayonnaise dressing, or else the heat will crack the mayonnaise making it oily. If using a vinaigrette dressing, on the other hand, add dressing and toss when potatoes are still warm so that it will get absorbed.

Possible additions include: Bacon, spring onions, thyme, finely chopped parsley, cubed chicken, sweet corn

To make Easy Potato Salad

300g Irish potatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped white onions* (1 small)
2 hard boiled eggs
1 stalk celery
1/4 cup cubed cucumber (seeds removed)

Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

*If using red onions instead, blanch before using. Click to see how to blanch red onions.

Wash potatoes, place in a pot of well-salted water and boil until soft, making sure the potatoes are submerged in the water throughout cooking.

Drain and set aside to cool completely.

Boil eggs, drain and place in cold water.

Peel and set aside.

Wash white onions, celery stalk and cucumber.

Do not peel cucumbers, remove the seeds and cut them into 1/2 inch cubes.

Finely mince celery stalk.

Chop onions and hard-boiled eggs.

Peel off the skin of the potatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces.

chopped boiled potatoes for easy potato salad

prepared ingredients for easy potato salad

Place potatoes, onions, eggs, celery and cucumber in a bowl.

Stir to mix well.

Dressing

In another bowl mix mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar and salt until well combined.

Pour dressing over well-cooled potato mixture leaving a little behind.

Stir well, cover and put salad and leftover dressing in the refrigerator.

Chill for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight.

Taste for seasonings, you may need more salt, vinegar or dressing.

Sprinkle with paprika or dry chilli pepper and serve.

Serve cold or at room temperature with grilled, fried, barbecued, roasted or smoked meat or fish, hotdogs, burgers etc.

Notes

If using red onions, blanch them so that the taste does not overpower your salad. Click to learn how to blanch onions.
Cook potatoes well but do not over or undercook.
Adding some vinegar to potato cooking water helps prevent over-cooking.
If boiling potatoes whole, try and use similar sized ones for even cooking.
If your potatoes are exceptionally large cut them into two before boiling.
During mixing, the potato will break down a bit.
Be generous with the seasoning, add enough salt to the cooking water.
Potatoes must cool down before adding your dressing.
You can drizzle some vinegar and salt while potatoes are still hot.

If you enjoyed my Easy Potato Salad, you will also enjoy my Mixed beans salad, Sweetcorn salad, Chicken salad with candied carrot coins, Pasta salad, Macaroni salad and Nigerian vegetable salad.