Choose Fingerling Potatoes For A Creamier Potato Salad
There are many variations of potato salad with all sorts of ingredients like celery and red onion doused in mayonnaise and mustard, but no matter what kind you're making, the mainstay is potatoes. However, potatoes aren't one and the same, so you still need to make a decision about what variety you want to use in the classic side dish. The most commonly used in potato salad is Yukon Gold — but if you want to switch things up, use fingerling potatoes the next time you whip up the creamy dish.
What are the benefits of using fingerling potatoes? This variety is a waxy potato due to its low starch content, which results in a creamier potato after they're cooked. And we can't think of anything better than making potato salad even creamier. For more context, there are several fingerling varieties, including Austrian Crescent (pale skin with creamy flesh), French (pink-purple on the outside), and Red Thumb (You guessed it, they're red), among several other types. These potatoes are usually only a couple of inches long, so you can get away with skipping the cutting and dicing. How do they taste? Fingerlings have a buttery, almost nutty flavor profile, which is guaranteed to elevate any basic potato salad recipe.
Making fingerling potato salad
It starts with preparing your fingerlings. These oblong potatoes are typically only two to three inches long, so cut them in half lengthwise after they're washed. If you want bite-sized pieces, you can cut them in fours, but it's not always necessary. After the potatoes are cut to your preferred size, it's time to throw them into a pot of boiling water. You'll want to follow your recipe for precise cooking times, but one-and-a-half pounds should be done boiling in about 10 to 15 minutes. Remember, these potatoes are less starchy, so you don't want to overcook them — or you'll be left with mush.
After your potatoes are cooked, drained, and cooled off, the rest is up to you. You can make a traditional potato salad with mayonnaise, mustard, relish, celery, and onion, or switch it up for more complex flavors. If you're a fan of dill, creamy dill potato salad is an easy way to slightly elevate your go-to recipe with only a few extra ingredients. And if you want to step up your potato salad game, try other versions like lemon herb for tangy flavors or French potato salad if you want to skip the mayonnaise for a lighter option.