The Key Ingredients You Need To Make Deli-Style Potato Salad At Home

Ever wondered why deli-style potato salad tastes so much better than homemade? What exactly is it that those deli-chefs are doing that sets their salad apart from a batch we've labored over in our family kitchen? We asked Michelle Wallace, renowned pitmaster, TV personality, and owner and founder of B'tween Sandwich Co. to reveal the classified deets and it turns out that making the best deli-style potato salad at home requires more than a simple combo of boiled taters and mayo — you also need sugar, vinegar, and textural add-ins for crunch and complexity.

According to Wallace, the ultimate potato salad has to start with the right potatoes. "The best potatoes for deli-style potato salad are Yukon gold or red skin potatoes," she asys. "This style of potato is a waxy, less starchy potato. [It's] super desirable for deli potato salad because of its smooth firm texture and ability to hold shape during cooking."

Waxy spuds, such as fingerlings, also have a thin skin, which means you don't have to peel them before boiling. This saves on prep time and boosts the fiber content of your potato salad too (most of the fiber in a potato lies in its skin). These tough-guy tubers can also withstand lots of knocks when they're stirred through a dressing and remain intact.

A rich mayonnaise is a key ingredient in a deli-style potato salad. However, making a bona fide delicatessen version that hits all those flavor notes isn't as simple as boiling your chopped taters and stirring through some mayo before serving. Wallace recommends a "two-part dressing" rather than a singular dollop of mayo. "True deli style potato salad gets dressed with a vinegar brine first then dressed with mayonnaise-based dressing before serving," she says. "This layered dressing creates a tangy, yet creamy base for the potatoes." 

A vinegar brine is simply a solution of vinegar, salt, and water, but it can also contain sugar. Coating the potatoes in vinegar brine imbues them with complex piquancy before the mayo is added into the mix, which creates that creamy consistency we all know and love that clings to the exterior of the chunky spuds. A potato salad that's dressed solely in mayo can have an overtly rich and almost cloying personality, but even the smallest amount of vinegar balances out the natural unctuousness of the mayo and perks it up beautifully. Double-dressing your potato salad is the best way to season it and maximize the ability of your spuds to absorb flavor in stages.

Now that we know what types of potato to use, we can turn our attention to the accompanying accoutrements. "Great deli potato salad really is all about the potatoes, however, they get some support from a few minimal additions," says Wallace. "Carrots, celery, and parsley are typical deli potato salad additions. They add some sweetness, freshness, and texture to the final product."

This creamy potato salad recipe uses dill instead of the parsley Wallace recommends, but the result is equally as good; tender taters flecked with pretty green herbs that are coated in an addictive dressing. The tang comes from lemon juice, rather than vinegar, which lends it a zingy brightness that balances the warming heat from a squirt of Dijon mustard. If you're after a classier option, this French potato salad recipe is dressed in an olive-oil based vinaigrette and features aromatics, such as scallions, parsley, and dill, which imbue it with an onion-y flavor and savory depth. What it lacks in creaminess, it makes up for in its allium-heavy aroma and umami character. You could even switch the scallions for red onions for extra vibrancy and bite.

Elevating a basic potato salad with spices — like smoked paprika or cumin — is an awesome idea if you're serving it alongside a punchy main with robust flavors. However, there's something soothing and nostalgic about the mellow quality of a classic, unadulterated potato salad that can be served with grilled meats, sandwiches, or fish. Wallace keeps her potato salad seasonings "minimal but balanced" with salt and white pepper to allow the flavor of the taters to shine. However, she does add sugar and vinegar too to lend it a "complete rounded flavor." The vinegar gives the tubers a tangy note while the sugar mellows out any overt tartness. Together with the mayo, these seasonings help create a balanced and delectable salad.

Briny ingredients — such as chopped pickles or capers — can add the same notes vinegar would in case you don't have any on hand. Moreover, these additions elevate the texture and color of a potato salad too. A dash of pickle juice, which is packed with sweet and sour flavors, also lifts the muted taste of the boiled spuds. If you're using a thick-style mayo or a rich version, such as Kewpie mayo that's made with whole eggs, pickle juice can also help to loosen it up and create a dressing with the perfect viscosity.