Give Potato Salad A Protein Boost With This Unexpected Charred Meat

Potato salad is a staple of summer cooking. You can hardly have a backyard barbecue or a cookout without someone bringing potato salad. Not having any would go against years of tradition. There are as many ways to make potato salad as there are people willing to cook it. We even put together a baker's dozen from around the world. Some are mayo-heavy, while some use no mayo at all. Some are served cold, and others hot. There's seemingly no end to the twists that can be applied, but one you may have never considered before is another backyard barbecue staple: the humble hot dog.

Serving potato salad as a side to hot dogs is a tradition as old as enjoying either of those dishes separately. But they also work well in the same dish. Potato salad sometimes shows up as a topping for hot dogs, and some people swear by it. It's not unusual to find it as a topping on Scandinavian hot dogs.

If potato salad can go on hot dogs, why not the reverse? Hot dog potato salad, dating back to at least the 1970s, involves dicing cooked hot dogs and adding them to your potato salad. A vinegar-and-mustard-based dressing can round it out, adding a bit of that classic hot dog flavor. For something Chicago-inspired, add peppers, celery salt, and dill. A Russian version involves turkey hot dogs and peas.

There's a reason potato salad is always a cookout side dish. The savory, bold flavors of so many barbecued meats are balanced incredibly well by creamy potato salad. The acidity in the salad cuts through the fat of the meat, and the cool temperature provides a contrast to the heat of the BBQ. Depending on the recipe, you can also get sweetness or contrasting textures that make it a great balance to brisket, pulled pork, and hot dogs.

Any potato salad recipe could potentially be upgraded with the addition of hot dogs. Grilling them adds a charred dimension. That way, even if you're not serving them with other barbecued meats, you'll still have that smoky grilled flavor. You can just as easily brown them in a skillet or use an air fryer.

Potato salad has always been an unfussy, straightforward dish. It's classic summer comfort fare, just like hot dogs. You can get gourmet takes on both, but most of us are used to the rustic versions that remind us of summer cookouts with friends and family. Combining the two is a fun way to enjoy that nostalgia, but with a new twist you might not have experienced before. It's all the flavors you remember, but a little more creative. Try it yourself next time you have a barbecue with a few leftover hot dogs and see if it captures that old-school cookout feeling.