Forget Mayo: Transform Potato Salad With A Fan-Favorite Dip For A Major Flavor Boost

Potato salads run the gamut of styles and ingredients, but they can generally be grouped into two categories: mayo-based and oil-based. Well, you can now include an entirely new category of potato salad with a much more flavorful mayo swap, the fan-favorite French onion dip.

While mayo is a heavy and rich potato salad dressing base, French onion dip's sour cream base is creamy yet light. The tartness of the sour cream serves to accentuate the savory, zesty, caramelized, and aromatic notes of the onions, spices, and herbs that make up French onion dip. And the blend of tart, savory, sweet, and aromatic is the flavor profile that will complement a starchy, earthy potato beautifully. It'll also save you the trouble of adding multiple seasoning ingredients as French onion dip is chalk full of its own spices, herbs, and aromatics, many of which overlap with a classic mayo-based potato salad.

While you can make homemade French onion dip, you can save yourself the time and effort by picking up a premade tub. We've found that the best French onion dip brand on the market, and it comes from none other than Daisy Sour Cream. Since French onion dip is quite thick, you could even use some plain old Daisy sour cream on top to thin out the potato salad dressing without detracting from that unique tangy profile that goes so well with earthy potatoes. If you want to bring more protein to the mix, you can swap that extra sour cream for Greek yogurt.

You can upgrade and complement French onion dip's flavor profile even more with additional condiments. A tablespoon or two of spicy brown mustard will not only help thin out the dressing, but it will also add a spicy element to round out the tangy, savory, and caramelized notes of the French onion dip. You can also bring a smoky, spicy element with the help of smoked paprika, a dash of all-purpose hot sauce, or even a tablespoon of adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers.

Of course, you can upgrade your French onion potato salad with the help of mix-ins to create a variety of textures in addition to complementary flavors. While many potato salads contain scallions or diced onions, you can bring yet another layer of onions by topping your potato salad with crunchy fried ones. They'll be as good on top of a creamy potato salad as they are on top of a classic green bean casserole. Diced red bell peppers or even canned roasted ones would bring more sweet and smoky flavors to pair with the savoriness of French onion dip. The caramelized notes of the French onion dip would also benefit from umami-rich ingredients like chopped bacon and blue cheese like in this red, white, and blue potato salad. For added richness and a protein boost, diced hard boiled eggs are always welcome in a potato salad.