Salt and Vinegar Potato Salad

This Salt and Vinegar Potato Salad is the perfect addition to any BBQ or cookout.

Grilling season has arrived, with the sun beating down on the rustling leaves and flowers of the lovely backyards and patios of friends and family scattered across the country.  Some backyards feature expansive decks shaded by the surrounding woods in the Northeast, and others, like ours, are lovely little paved patios that feature some roses and tomato planters that are always yearning for another minute or two of water in the relentless desert sun.  Regardless of where you are, chances are you love to take the cookery outside once it heats up, mainly to relieve your kitchen of having the oven turned on.

One of the greatest sides to accompany any kind of cookout or BBQ fare is the beloved potato salad.  There is such a range in the iterations it comes in - some are loaded with bacon like a fantastic loaded baked potato, others have hard boiled eggs mingling in with the potatoes.  Some people will tell you the absolute best potato to use is the russet potato, where the potato cubes soften and create a half mashed potato situation for the salad.  Others will argue for a waxier potato like a red potato, where the spuds will hold their shape and have a firmer texture when you bite in.  There are French style potato salads that feature herbs and oils and vinegars, and others that feature a mayo or sour cream base.  Whatever your fancy is, a humble scoop of potato salad rounds out that burger, that brisket, the BBQ chicken, or rack of ribs in a way that nothing else can quite compare to.

Growing up, the potato salad my stepdad would make for cookouts is what I consider very Southern in nature, with eggs, bacon, and russet potatoes.  It was delicious, but as I’ve grown older I find my preferred potato salad has a bit more bite and tang to it.  It’s not quite a French style vinaigrette based potato salad that involves green beans and other vegetables, but more of one that resembles a Salt and Vinegar potato chip in flavor.  

This Salt and Vinegar Potato Salad is adaptable, and I’ve used Baby Red Potatoes, Russet Potatoes, and regular Red Potatoes in it with equal deliciousness and success.

To start off for this Salt and Vinegar Potato Salad, I found I prefer to use Baby Red Potatoes as they are a waxier potato and hold their shape best.  That being said, I have no qualms about making this with a Russet Potato if that’s what I have on hand.  The sauce that goes on the potatoes is bright, punchy, and really gives you the experience of eating those Salt and Vinegar potato chips without the crazy crunch.  The trick to really getting that extra layer of flavor though, is to drizzle some apple cider vinegar over the steaming hot, just drained potatoes to help them absorb the vinegar.  

I always start off by putting the potatoes on to boil, starting off with cold water as this will evenly cook the potato.  While the potatoes are coming to a boil, I prepare the Sauce first as the flavors will start melding together even before you add the sauce to the cut vegetables and the hot potatoes.While the sauce is sitting, allowing all the flavors to mingle, I cut and prep the rest of the veggies that go in the potato salad.  Once the potatoes are fork tender, you drain them, drizzle the reserved apple cider vinegar on them, then mix everything together in your big mixing bowl.  Once everything is mixed, you can adjust salt and pepper and some garnishing parsley but Voila!  A really simple, and stupendously awesome make ahead dish for weekend (or weekday if you are motivated!) grilling. 

This Salt and Vinegar Potato Salad is incredibly flavorful, with the crunch of the celery and red bell peppers breaking up the softness of the potatoes.  The mustard only enhances the vinegar and the salt makes everything super cohesive - it really is a very nuanced, more sophisticated version of a Salt and Vinegar potato chip flavor profile.  Paired with any of the traditional BBQ or cookout foods, it is a refreshing offering to counterbalance the crazy sweetness of BBQ baked beans, or ribs.  It is a fantastic side for burgers and Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches, and honestly, I have been known on an extra hot day to just eat it by itself for dinner with a hardboiled egg on the side.  While other potato salads grace the tables of families, this is my personal favorite and my go-to for all occasions.

Salt and Vinegar Potato Salad

Author:  Iris Anna Gohn

Servings: 6-8

This Salt and Vinegar Potato Salad is easy as pie to throw together and it’s a great option to make ahead the day before.  It keeps super well in the fridge for up to a week as it contains no meat, and the flavors just get better the longer it sits.  

Below I give alternative options for whatever type of potatoes you end up using - as mentioned above I personally prefer baby red potatoes however I will not turn my nose up at a russet potato if that’s all I have on hand.  Be sure to read the adjusted amounts for the russet potatoes as they do absorb the vinegar more than the baby red potatoes.

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

• 1/2 Cup Mayo

• 1 Tbsp Whole Grain Mustard

• 1 Tbsp Spicy Brown or Dijon Mustard

• 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

• 2 Tsp Minced Garlic (2 to 3 Garlic Cloves)

• 3 Tbsp Diced Fine Onion (1/4 Medium White Onion) OR 1/2 Tsp Dried Onion Flakes

• 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt

• 1/4 Tsp Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

For the Potato Salad:

• 2 Pounds of Baby Red Potatoes (halved) OR 5 Heaping Cups Cubed Red Skinned or peeled Russet Potatoes (1to 1 1/2 inch pieces, between 5 to 7 Medium to Large Red Potatoes, or 4-5 Russet Potatoes)

• 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar (use 1/3 Cup if you are using Russet Potatoes, as this type of potato absorbs flavors more intensely than the Baby Red Potatoes)

• 1/2 Cup Diced Celery (1 Large or 2 Small Celery Stalks)

• 1/2 Cup Diced Red Bell Pepper (1/2 Red Bell Pepper)

• 1/4 Cup Thinly Sliced Scallions (1 Large or 2 thin Scallions, white and green parts)

• 1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley

• 3/4 Tsp Coarse Kosher Salt, divided

• 1/8 Tsp Fresh Cracked Pepper + more to taste

Directions

For the Sauce:

1. In a small or medium bowl, add in the mayo, whole grain mustard, spicy brown mustard, apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, onion (OR onion powder), sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Whisk until smooth, and set aside.

For the Potato Salad:

1. Wash and cut your baby red potatoes in half. Alternatively, if using bigger red potatoes or russet potatoes, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces.

2. Add potatoes to a large stockpot and rinse the potatoes until the water runs clear to remove excess starch. Then, cover the potatoes with cold water and add a big pinch of kosher salt to the pot to help season the potatoes while cooking.

3. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and let the potatoes simmer for about 20 minutes till fork tender. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain in a colander and drizzle the reserved apple cider vinegar over the hot potatoes.

4. While the potatoes are cooking, chop your other veggies (the celery, the red bell pepper, scallions, and parsley. Add the celery, bell pepper, and scallions to a big mixing bowl, reserving the parsley for the moment.

5. Once the potatoes are cooked and you’ve poured the reserved vinegar over them and they drain excess vinegar off, add the potatoes to the big mixing bowl that contain the veggies.

6. To the potatoes and veggies, add 1/2 Tsp of the Kosher Salt, fresh cracked pepper, the Sauce, and most of the chopped parsley. Gently fold all the ingredients together with a spatula, then taste and add the additional 1/4 Tsp Kosher Salt if needed. Taste again, and transfer to a large serving bowl, sprinkle the last of the parsley over the top, and you can serve immediately or cover till ready to serve.