3-Ingredient Potato Salad Recipe

Potato salad is an American favorite at summer barbecues, parties, potlucks, and beyond. Creamy and delicious, it's a side dish that consistently delivers cool, savory flavors. While potatoes and some kind of dressing are non-negotiable to make a true potato salad, the dish can be customized with a variety of ingredients to add additional flavor, color, and texture. Take inspiration from 13 classic potato salads around the world and discover some tasty and unique ways to serve potatoes beyond the American-style classic.

On the other hand, potato salad can be pared down to just the basics. Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a recipe for three-ingredient potato salad, one that will surely come in handy when you need a quick side dish in a pinch. Of course, with so few ingredients, each one has to count. Red potatoes (with the skin left on) serve as a colorful base for the salad. Kewpie mayonnaise, which is made with ingredients like egg yolks, vinegar, and sugar, adds a little more complexity than your average mayo. It's not just creamy but also tangy, eggy, and a little sweet, perfect for a packing quite a bit of flavor into a minimalistic dish. Finally, fresh chives offer a compromise between oniony, garlicky, and herby flavors, and add a nice pop of color to finish the dish.

For this recipe, you will need 2 pounds of red potatoes. Note that the potatoes are meant to be cooked unpeeled to add color to the salad, but you could peel them if that's your preference. You will also need Kewpie mayonnaise, fresh chives, salt, and pepper.

Place the unpeeled potatoes in large pot and cover them with about 1 inch of salted water.

Bring the water to a gentle boil and let the potatoes cook for 15-25 minutes, until fork tender. They may take a little more or less time depending on their size.

Drain the potatoes and let them cool completely.

Once cooled, chop the potatoes into bite-sized pieces and place them in a large mixing bowl.

Add the Kewpie mayonnaise, chives, salt, and pepper, and mix gently until well combined. Taste and adjust for seasonings if desired. You can add more Kewpie mayonnaise if you like it extra creamy.

Refrigerate the potato salad for at least 30 minutes (to allow the flavors to meld) before serving cold.

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While this three-ingredient potato salad gets the job done with minimal inclusions, there's always room to build on the recipe if you do happen to have other ingredients on hand. Hard-boiled eggs, cut into bite sized pieces, add richness, flavor, creaminess, and protein. Celery adds crunch to complement the tender potatoes, and onion adds a strong depth of flavor. Mixing in some pickle relish with the mayonnaise makes it sweeter, while a little yellow mustard contributes tang and sharpness. Substitute Dijon mustard for yellow mustard for a spicier, more robust flavor. Salt and pepper are staple seasoning inclusions for nearly any dish, but for this recipe, seasonings like celery salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and fresh herbs like parsley and dill would provide that much more of a flavor boost.

To take your side dish to the next level, consider some of these creative ingredients to elevate potato salad. Something as simple as a splash of vinegar will add a tangy contrast to an otherwise creamy dish. Creamy pesto, or even just fresh basil, will add a Mediterranean feel and lovely fresh flavor. Capers pack a real flavor punch to complement the mildness of the potatoes, and if you're a fan of spicy food, drizzling sriracha on the dish will add a welcome dose of heat. Instead of mayo, try hummus, green goddess dressing, or tzatziki sauce instead. Sharp cheddar, feta cheese, or — if you dare — strong blue cheese adds a noticeable finishing touch.

While you can technically make potato salad with any kind of potato, starchy and waxy potatoes will give you different results. Starchy potatoes like Russets are often considered the best for making fries. Since Russets have higher amounts of starch and lower levels of moisture, they stay crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. When boiled for potato salad and mixed with other ingredients, they break down more, so they're not usually a popular choice in this dish. Using them is not necessarily a mistake though, especially if you like the dish creamier with less defined potatoes. Make sure to peel them because of their thicker skins, and don't over boil or over stir or you may end up with mashed potatoes.

That said, the best potatoes for potato salad are often considered to be waxy potatoes. Fingerling potatoes, new potatoes, and the red potatoes (used in this recipe) are examples of waxy potatoes. They're smooth and less starchy, and they hold their shape much better when boiled and stirred. They provide a firmer, more defined bite, although they will still be tender. You can even leave them unpeeled because they have more delicate skins. If you can't decide, try using Yukon Gold potatoes. These all-purpose potatoes fall in between starchy and waxy, and they hold up well when boiled but provide some creaminess.

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