Best Red Skin Potato Salad Recipe (Bacon Optional)

Learn how to make the best red skin potato salad recipe (bacon optional) the easy way by following this simple recipe. I am a huge fan of potato salad, but I haven’t always enjoyed making it. There’s a reason most deli counters in grocery stores keep a stock of potato salad on hand. Traditional potato salad is time-consuming to make from scratch. Today I’m going to let you in on a few shortcuts that make potato salad prep go much more quickly. Ready to learn about this easy potato salad recipe? Let’s get started!

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How do You Make Potato Salad From Scratch the Easy Way?

Think about what takes the most time when prepping potato salad. It’s the peeling and chopping of the ingredients, right? What if there were ways to cut down on that? With just a few simple changes in the types of ingredients, your time spent making potato salad can be reduced dramatically. When you read through the list of ingredients, you will notice I omitted some of the common potato salad components that require chopping, such as celery, green peppers, and pickles. I also eliminated the need for peeling the potatoes. The result is a more fiber-rich, colorful potato salad that you might actually look forward to making.

Equipment Needed for the Best Red Skin Potato Salad

1 large stockpot (preferably with a straining lid or a strainer)

1 medium saucepan

1 large bowl (preferably with a lid)

1 pastry blender (optional) for chopping eggs

1 knife

1 cutting board

You will also need other basic kitchen equipment such as measuring spoons and a spoon for mixing the potato salad together.

Ingredients for the Best Red Skin Potato Salad

6-8 medium red potatoes

6 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup sweet pickle relish

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons dill pickle juice (from homemade dill pickles, if you have them)

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard or regular prepared mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

A few sprinkles of paprika on top (optional)

Directions

Wash six to eight medium red potatoes. If some of the potatoes are substantially larger than the others, cut them in half to speed up the cooking process.

Place in a large stockpot, cover with water, add a little salt to the water if you wish, and bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn heat down to medium and simmer potatoes in gently boiling water for 25-30 minutes. Poke potatoes with a fork to check for doneness.

Drain hot water from stockpot and cover potatoes with cool water. When potatoes have cooled for a few minutes, drain the water and set potatoes aside to dry.

While potatoes are cooking, hard-boil six eggs. When cooked, drain the hot water from the pan and cover the eggs with cool water to stop the cooking process.

Remove eggs from the water and set aside to dry. When dry, peel the eggs and place them in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, chop the eggs into small pieces.

Add the relish, chopped onion, and mayonnaise to the bowl.

Chop the cooled red potatoes without peeling and place in the bowl. Do not mix with other ingredients yet.

Drizzle the potatoes with the dill pickle juice so the flavor is absorbed. Add mustard, salt, and pepper to the bowl and mix all together.

If the mixture seems dry, more pickle juice may be added.

Sprinkle a bit of paprika (optional) on top to add color. Some people like to use parsley as a garnish. Green onions are another favorite topping to add a bit of color. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Is it Okay to Make Potato Salad Ahead of Time?

Potato salad may be made ahead of time. If it sits in the refrigerator overnight, the flavors have a chance to meld together. If you aren’t able to make the potato salad ahead of time, that’s okay as well.

What Goes Well With Potato Salad?

Potato salad goes well with any type of summer barbeque food, such as hamburgers or steak. Lately, we’ve enjoyed eating potato salad with grilled sausages and sauerkraut. Side dishes that pair well with potato salad include corn on the cob or baked beans.

The Best Potatoes to Use

As noted in the ingredients, I use red potatoes. They don’t have to be any particular kind of red potato. Red potato skins are thinner, and I use them now in place of russet potatoes in many recipes. One of my other favorite potato recipes is make-ahead mashed potatoes. I use red potatoes in that recipe as well. It cuts down so much on prep time when no one has to peel potatoes. As an added benefit, keeping the potato peels in the recipe adds more fiber and nutrients to the dish. I didn’t just make that up. An article in Consumer Reports delved into the reasons potato skins should be included in a diet.

The Secret to Cooking Hard-Boiled Eggs Perfectly Every Time

When hard-boiling eggs, I try to avoid over-cooking them and creating a gray color around the yolks. Here’s what I do to get nice completely yellow yolks and easy-to-peel eggs. Cook the eggs in water over medium-high heat. When the water reaches a full rolling boil, turn the heat off. Set a timer for 10 minutes let the eggs sit on the stovetop in the hot water until the timer goes off. Drain the hot water, add cool water to the pan to stop the cooking process, remove the eggs from the water, and allow them to dry. As a bonus, eggs cooked this way are usually very easy to peel.

Chopping Eggs the Easy Way

My favorite way to chop eggs is by using a pastry blender. I wrote about this method in more detail in my post about kitchen shortcuts. This method works best when the eggs are the first ingredient in the bowl. Using the pastry blender, chop the eggs into small pieces quickly and easily.

What’s with the Pickle Juice?

Were you surprised to see dill pickle juice on the list of ingredients? Most creamy potato salad recipes call for the addition of vinegar. I happen to adore dill pickles, and when my dear late sister-in-law told me she always added dill pickle juice to her delicious homemade potato salad, I was definitely on board with that idea. I think of her whenever I add the pickle juice. She was a terrific cook.

How do You Store Potato Salad?

Potato salad should be stored in the refrigerator, covered. According to USDA guidelines on their website, hard-cooked eggs and salads do not freeze well. If you take the potato salad to a picnic or potluck, keep in a cooler until ready to serve. You may want to place the potato salad on top of a large bowl of ice to keep it chilled if it’s going to be part of a buffet-style meal.

How Long Do Potato Salad Leftovers Last?

According to the Idaho Potato website, as long as the potato salad hasn’t sat out of the refrigerator for an extended length of time, the dish should last in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days. Was the potato salad served at a picnic or potluck? If the dish sat out in the heat for an extended length of time, you may need to discard the leftovers.

Red Skin Potato Salad with Bacon

One delicious variation of this red skin potato salad is to make red skin potato salad with bacon. You can cook eight slices of bacon using the method of your choice (I use the microwave and paper towels in a casserole dish). Crumble the bacon and mix in when you add the dill pickle juice. Stir to combine. Alternatively, if you want to make things easier, instead of cooking bacon slices, add 1/2 cup of Costco Bacon Crumbles. Super easy and tasty!

Other Variations and More Ways to Use Potatoes

Sour cream may also be substituted for half of the mayonnaise. Some people like to add sliced olives to potato salad, but that increases prep time. Parsley is another decorative garnish that may be added.

Are you a fan of potatoes? Try making easy ham and potato casserole or make-ahead mashed potatoes in the crock pot. These recipes are both amazingly delicious and simple to make in a crock pot.

Are You Now Craving This Easy Potato Salad Recipe?

Are you thinking of making it sometime soon? If you have any favorite salad recipes, I’d enjoy knowing about them. If you try this recipe, I’d appreciate it if you let me know how it went. I’m always interested in your variations, ideas, and suggestions.

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If you would like even more recipe ideas, consider following my Easy Recipes board on Pinterest. Have a fabulous day, and have a good time making this easy potato salad recipe.

More Easy Salad Recipes

• Special Side Dish: Crowd-Pleasing Seafood Salad
• Delicious Berry Mandarin Tossed Salad
• Chicken, Avocado, Bacon, and Corn Salad
• Easy Taco Salad
• Incredibly Easy Chicken Ramen Noodle Salad

Lisa Mitchell is a wife, mom, and school librarian who likes to create and share recipes, often using fresh ingredients from her family’s small Pacific Northwest farm. To learn more about what this website has to offer, click on over to the Welcome page.

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