Classic Potato Salad is everything that a potato salad should be: creamy, bright, comforting and classically delicious! Buttery Yukon gold potatoes are boiled until tender and then tossed together in a creamy dressing of mayonnaise, buttermilk, seasonings and fresh dill. The perfect side dish for any summer bbq, holiday table or weeknight dinner!

Let’s Talk Potatoes

Start this recipe off with the number one, most important ingredient: potatoes!

I love to use buttery baby Yukon gold potatoes for this recipe, but baby red potatoes can also be used. Or even a combination of both for some splashes of color! But, in my opinion, you really can’t beat that buttery, rich flavor and texture of a Yukon gold potato. It’s a classic for a reason!

Now, one of the main questions: to peel or not to peel? Personally, I love the texture and ease of leaving the potato skins on, so I don’t peel them. All you have to do is scrub the potatoes clean a bit, boil them until tender, cut into quarters and then coat in the dressing.

If you prefer peeled potatoes over un-peeled, then grab your peeler and get to work! I recommend peeling the potatoes before they go into the pot to be boiled. That way, you don’t have to handle hot potato skins after they come out of the pot.

Once the potatoes are fork-tender, drain them and allow them to cool down to the touch, They can then be cut into roughly 1-inch pieces. Depending on the size of the potatoes, they will either be quartered or cut into sixths or eighths. 

Dressing Ingredients

While the potatoes are boiling, whip together a simple dressing to toss them in. Here’s the ingredients needed:

• Mayonnaise – since this is the base of the dressing, pick a good-quality one that you love.
• Buttermilk – once this is whisked into the mayo, it will help it be ultra creamy and delicious. Plus, the buttermilk adds a wonderful tang!
• Salt & Pepper – the classic spice duo! Simple ingredients that help accentuate and bring the other ingredients to life.
• Fresh dill – the fresh dill really does bring this recipe to life. It adds such a vibrant flavor that is irresistible. You can’t go without it!
• Shallot – I love using shallot when I want onion flavor without all the pungency of of eating raw onion. Plus, it’s nice and purple in color!

How to Serve

• Cold – the most classic way to serve potato salad is cold. After the potatoes are perfectly covered in the homemade dressing, cover and refrigerate until chilled (2-3 hours) or overnight. Take the potato salad out of the refrigerator and serve.
• Room temperature – potato salad is one of those wonderful recipes that does ok sitting out at room temperature while serving. Which makes it perfect for a family crowd, holiday table or summer bbq! It does need to be refrigerated for storage.
• Hot – this may seem like the oddest way to eat potato salad, but don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! I first learned this method from my mother-in-law, who keeps potato salad warm in a slow cooker for large events. And it’s the way my husband prefers to eat it too! It’s pretty darn tasty and completely changes the way you look at potato salad.

My personal favorite it is to dig in right after the potatoes have been coated in the dressing and are still a touch warm. I couldn’t keep my fork out of the bowl! The flavors of the potato salad will continue to marry together the longer it sits or refrigerates. 

Looking for other Side Dish Recipes? Check these out!

Hash Brown Casserole 

Green Jello Salad

Asiago Herb Mashed Potatoes

Print

Classic Potato Salad

---

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Loading...

5 from 1 review

• Author: KJ & Company - Kate Poskochil
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 10 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

Classic Potato Salad is everything that a potato salad should be: creamy, bright, comforting and classically delicious! Buttery Yukon gold potatoes are boiled until tender and then tossed together in a creamy dressing of mayonnaise, buttermilk, seasonings and fresh dill. The perfect side dish for any summer bbq, holiday table or weeknight dinner!

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 pounds baby gold potatoes, scrubbed clean and rinsed
• 1 1/1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
• 1 shallot, diced

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Add the potatoes to a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Drain and allow the potatoes to cool to touch.
2. While the potatoes are boiling, make the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, salt, pepper, dill and shallot. Set aside.
3. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into roughly 1-inch pieces. Depending on the size of the potatoes, they will either be quartered, cut into sixths or eighths.
4. Add the cut potatoes directly into the large bowl with the prepared dressing. They will still be slightly warm and that is okay. Gently toss to coat the potatoes completely in the dressing.
5. Serve immediately (will be slightly warm/room temperature) or cover and refrigerate to serve cold and chilled, 2-3 hours or overnight. The potato salad can also be served hot. I recommend doing this after it has had time to chill and refrigerate so the flavors all marry together first. Keep it warm in a slow cooker if desired.

Notes

• Baby gold or baby red potatoes can be used for this recipe. Or a combination of both!
• Peeled or un-peeled potatoes can also be used. I personally prefer the texture and ease of leaving the peels on.
• Nutritional information for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Side Dish

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1
• Calories: 345
• Sugar: 4.8g
• Sodium: 592mg
• Fat: 16g
• Carbohydrates: 47.7g
• Fiber: 2.7g
• Protein: 5.3g
• Cholesterol: 13mg

Keywords: Classic Potato Salad

Share the love!

If you make this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures 🙂

Thanks for following and cooking along with me!

Affiliate Links

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that KJ & Company would receive a small commission if anything is purchased. Thank you for supporting KJ & Company in all the ways that you do!