Annie Gorgeous late summer potato harvests have been gracing our farmer’s market these days, and with another heat wave coming on, cool salads with dinner are an absolute must. So, obviously it’s time for some EPIC potato salad! We love riffing on this BBQ staple—it can go in a trillion different directions.
Since peppers are majorly abundant in the FIO garden this year, we decided to pair our latest sweet pepper harvest with some beautiful golden fingerling potatoes (hence, “digits”, ha). The mustardy, relish-spiked dressing is classic but perfect, and although you *could* skip it, crispy prosciutto bits add just the right amount salty goodness to balance all that natural sweetness. You guys are going to love it.
Whip It Good The dressing for this salad gets its light creaminess from Greek yogurt, but if you’re looking for a richer, more Southern-style flavor, swap in Miracle Whip for the yogurt (controversial, we know, but we dare you). It’s amazing either way.
Tips for Tater Salad BLISS
Potato Options Waxy potato varieties—like fingerlings, Yukon golds, or baby reds—have a smooth, buttery texture and thin, delicate skins that make them an easy, smart choice for potato salad. They’ll hold their shape in the salad and don’t require peeling. It’s important to note, however, some of the best potato salads we’ve tried are made with russets, aka baking potatoes, so don’t count those out. This type of potato will result in a more mashed potato-like texture. Think classic supermarket deli-style potato salad. Choose what you like: Your salad, your choice.
Skins on, Please Leaving the skins on your potatoes when you cook them prevents them from taking in too much moisture and becoming water-logged. If the potatoes are small enough, like most fingerlings, you can leave them whole when boiling then chop after cooking.
Salt that Water The key to a flavorful tater salad starts with cooking them in salted water, which enhances the natural sweetness of the potatoes and seasons them throughout.
Go Fork Tender Allow the potatoes to cook until a fork slips in easily and starts to break the potatoes apart. If the potatoes are too firm, they can become rubbery when tossed with the acidic dressing.
Steam Off Let the chopped cooked potatoes stand for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the steam to evaporate and the potatoes to cool down. Letting go of this excess moisture will allow them to more efficiently absorb the dressing and will prevent your dressing and other ingredients from heating up too much when you mix everything together.
Gentle Toss Unless you’re going for mashed potato-like potato salad, you’ll want to be delicate when mixing after the potatoes are added. Mix all the other ingredients first, then add the potatoes and use a rubber spatula to toss lightly until combined.
Chill, Dude Potato salad needs some fridge time to throughly chill and to allow the flavors to develop. Take advantage of it’s make ahead convenience by planning ahead. We recommend a minimum of 2 hours chill time prior to serving.
Sweet Pepper-Fingerling Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 1½ to 2 lb. fingerling potatoes
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
- 2 Tbsp. sweet pepper relish or pickle relish
- 1½ cups chopped sweet red and/or yellow peppers
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 small red onion or shallot, finely chopped
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
- 2 or 2 slices prosciutto
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- Paprika, for serving
Instructions
- Put potatoes and salt in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Drain well; let cool until easy to handle, about 10 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a cutting board and coarsely chop. Let cool 5 minutes
- Meanwhile, in a small skillet cook prosciutto in olive oil until crisp; drain and let cool. Combine mayo, yogurt, mustard, relish, and steak seasoning in a large bowl. Stir in peppers, celery, onion, and eggs.
- Add potatoes and prosciutto to dressing mixture (reserve some for garnish, if you like); toss gently to coat. Chill at least 2 hours or up to 1 day. Toss, transfer to a serving dish (if you like), and sprinkle with paprika and reserved prosciutto (if using) before serving.
