How to Make Potato Salad

Potato salad is a dish that we can eat at any time of the year. Also, we can make it with different ingredients to our own tastes. We will share some ideas on how to prepare a simple, yet delicious potato salad.

Potato salad is a very popular dish that is often eaten in hot climates. Usually it’s served as a tapas dish, garnish, canapé, as a starter or even as a main dish.

Although its basic ingredients are usually potatoes, carrots, peas and mayonnaise, many additional ingredients can be added. Among the most used ingredients to give potato salad an innovative touch, are tuna, hard-boiled egg, olives and pickles.

Cooking is the key

To get a potato salad with body and texture, it is important not to over cook the ingredients. Potatoes and carrots should be cooked to perfection: not too hard because they will be raw, not too soft because they can break easily and they will not be distinguished in the mix.

The recommended cooking time is 20 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes and carrots. A very useful piece of advice is to pass the cooked ingredients under cold water. This will help to stop the cooking process.

Classic potato salad

The classic potato salad is the simplest. It consists of vegetables, tuna, mayonnaise, olives and eggs only. This recipe is for approximately four people.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium potatoes (16 oz)
• 4 carrots
• 5 oz of canned tuna, drained
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons canned peas
• 20 olives
• 7 oz of mayonnaise
• Salt

Directions:

1. Wash the potatoes well and cook over a low-heat without peeling them.
2. Include the skinless carrots in the potato water and cook everything for 20 to 25 minutes or until ready.
3. In another pot, boil the eggs for 10 minutes. Once cooked, place in a bowl of cold water to stop cooking.
4. Remove the skin from the potatoes and cut them into small cubes, together with the carrots. Do the same with the egg and place all the ingredients together in a bowl.
5. Add the peas, tuna and olives with a pinch of salt to the preparation.
6. Add the mayonnaise and mix until the sauce coats all of the ingredients.
7. Refrigerate for two hours before serving.

Potato salad with chicken

A variant of this recipe is to replace the tuna with chicken or turkey. It may be from a leftover stew or it can be cooked fresh on the grill; the important thing is that the meat is cooked before incorporating it into the salad.

Ingredients:

• 9 oz of chicken breast or turkey
• 35 oz of potatoes
• 4 eggs
• 1 large carrot
• 7 oz of canned peas
• 21 oz of mayonnaise
• Salt

Directions:

1. Cook the turkey or chicken breast. Add a little olive oil and salt to taste. 
2. Cook the previously washed potatoes with skins on, for about 30 minutes. Include the carrot, washed and peeled, in the same cooking pot.
3. In another pot, boil the eggs for 10 minutes. Once the cooking time is over, set them aside in a bowl with cold water.
4. Peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes. Chop the carrot and eggs to the same size as the potatoes.
5. Add all the ingredients in a serving container. Include cooked chicken and canned peas.
6. Add the mayonnaise to the ingredients and stir gently until a homogenous mixture is achieved.
7. Store in the fridge and serve cold as a main dish, tapas dish or a starter.

Potato salad with apples

In some areas of central and south America, potato salad with chicken is very popular on Christmas Eve. The most exquisite version of this salad, under the same Latin American tradition, is combined with apples.

Ingredients:

• 2 green apples
• 4 medium potatoes
• 1 large carrot
• A cup of preserved peas
• 1 teaspoon of capers
• 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• Salt

Directions:

1. Wash and cook the potatoes in their skins. Add the previously peeled carrot to the same pot. Cook for 20 or 25 minutes.
2. Cut the apples into small pieces. Repeat the same procedure with the carrot and potatoes, properly peeled. Apples are easily oxidized, so they must be peeled and cut at the time of use.
3. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Add the peas and capers and stir.
4. Finally, add the mayonnaise, until it covers all of the ingredients
5. Add a pinch of salt.
6. Refrigerate and serve cold.