Potato Salad Recipe

Chef and food writer Maren Epstein of Eating Works allows that "this is a classic American recipe [that] would be perfect to serve at a summer BBQ or at a picnic alongside sub sandwiches, tuna salad, macaroni salad, hot dogs, and hamburgers," but let's be honest: There's never a bad time for a great potato salad. And one of the best things about potato salad is the common misconception that it's difficult to make.

"This potato salad is pretty straightforward," Epstein says. With the possible exception of the fresh dill and parsley, there's a good chance you have all the ingredients on hand at all times, and everything can be found with ease at any decent grocery store. Another perk here is the fact that you can prep this delectable side dish hours in advance of your dinner party, picnic, BBQ, or what have you, and it will taste great the next day, too.

As noted, you will likely have most of the ingredients needed for this perfect potato salad on hand. In other good news, there is some flexibility here. "If you don't have Dijon mustard, you can use any type of mustard instead," says Maren Epstein. "Also, don't worry if you don't have apple cider vinegar on hand. Any light white vinegar will do the trick! This recipe is very adaptable. Just play around with the different proportions to get it exactly how you like."

In a perfect world, you'll use three pounds of white potatoes, cubed, a half cup of red onion, fresh parsley, and fresh dill, all chopped, about a half cup of mayo (or more to taste), three tablespoons of white wine and three of Dijon mustard, four tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, four garlic cloves, minced, a half teaspoon of sea salt, and a quarter tablespoon of black pepper, or more for added kick.

Rinse and scrub the potatoes for your potato salad well, as this dish is best made with the skins left on. However, you can always peel the potatoes if you prefer. Now, cube the potatoes and boil them in a large pot with salted water for between 15 and 20 minutes. "Beware of over-cooking the potatoes," cautions Epstein. "You want the potatoes to be easily pierced with a knife but not be so well done that they're falling apart."

Once the potatoes are ready, strain and drain them, and set the cooked potatoes aside to cool.

Rinse the fresh dill and parsley, and peel the outer layer off your red onion, then get chopping. For the onion, a fine chop is ideal if you want the flavor to spread out evenly throughout your potato salad. For the dill, no need to go crazy as it will break apart quite easily itself with a bit of good knife work. The parsley, on the other hand, should be roughly chopped, as you want some larger leaves for looks and for taste.

Once, you're done with that, mince the garlic, then put it into a separate bowl.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the mayo, wine, mustard, and vinegar, and them whisk them together until they are well-blended. Now, toss in the garlic and dill and keep on mixing. Then, add the salt and black pepper.

Check that the potatoes are cool and, if so, you can move on to the final step of making this potato salad recipe. If not, go ahead and take a moment to allow them to cool off before you proceed, as you want them room temperature (or even chilled) before finishing up.

Time for the last step! (Well, next to last if you consider letting the salad sit in the fridge a while to be a step.)

Put the cooled potatoes in a large mixing bowl, then toss in the onion and parsley and stir. Now, pour the dressing over the top and mix thoroughly, ideally with a wooden or silicone spoon or by tossing and shaking the bowl. (You can also use a container with a lid for aggressive but clean shaking and mixing.)

Now, pop the completed potato salad into the fridge for at least two hours, and get ready for potato salad praise aplenty.