How To Make A Potato Salad With Mayonnaise

A Nourishing Staple

The humble potato is probably one of the most uncelebrated vegetables in modern day cuisine. Yet it is a global favourite and a nourishing staple in many recipes. In South Africa, potato salad with mayonnaise is a filling side dish typically placed on the table at a braai along with garlic bread and a green salad.

We at Hellman’s love simple food that tastes good, so we looked for some easy potato salad recipes with mayo. Here are a few top tips that you might find handy when making your potato salad from scratch at home.

How To Make Potato Salad With Mayonnaise In Six Easy Steps

1. Peel (optional) and chop the potatoes. The first step to making the best potato salad your friends have ever tasted is to chop your potatoes. Cut the potatoes before you boil them and not after they have been cooked. Make sure to slice them into bite size chunks. If you chop them too small, they will disintegrate during cooking and become mushy.

Top Tip: Make sure that your potato chunks are all roughly the same size so that they cook evenly.

2. Cook the potatoes. To make a delicious potato salad get going by adding your potatoes to cool water in a saucepan. Bring it to the boil and allow the potatoes to simmer for 15-20 minutes. To test whether they are ready insert a toothpick or fork: the potato should provide a gentle resistance but should not be hard inside.

Top Tip: Do not exceed the cooking time. Ideally you need your potatoes to hold their shape. Overcooking the potatoes can result in soggy, soft potatoes that will disintegrate when added to the other ingredients in the salad.

3. Set aside to cool. Potato salad tastes best when served chilled. Setting aside your potatoes to cool down is an important step. Pop them in the fridge for 10 minutes while continuing to prepare your sauce and other ingredients.

4. Mix the sauce. The sauce is a vital component to any potato salad. In this recipe we mixed Hellman’s Original Mayonnaise, yogurt, curry powder, lemon zest, lemon juice, chutney and mango to create a sweet yet spicy sauce for our potato salad.

Top Tip: Make your sauce in a separate bowl to get the seasoning just right before adding it to your chilled potatoes.

5. Add additional ingredients. It is now time to add any other ingredients you may want to use to spruce up your potato salad. Some potatoes salad recipes with mayonnaise incorporate protein in the form of bacon bits or boiled eggs. In the recipe we shared in step 4, spring onions, coriander and mint are added for a crunchy freshness and a slight zing.

6. Mix well and serve. Make sure to mix your potato salad well. You want to ensure that the sauce interacts with all the other ingredients so that every forkful has the delicious creamy taste your guests love. Keep your salad chilled in the fridge until it is time to serve it.

What Potatoes Work Best In Potato Salad?

The best potatoes to use in a potato salad are ones that will survive the mixing stage of preparation. Potato salad calls for firm, buttery potatoes as opposed to soft, floury potatoes, which are more suited to mash. Use either baby potatoes or firm, waxy potatoes. Baby potatoes have good fibre and a nutty taste, so they are ideal for a potato salad, or look for potatoes with a thin, waxy skin and rich, white flesh that does not disintegrate easily.

Real Taste, Less Waste

So, you’ve served your delectable potato salad and by some miracle, you have a small amount left over? No problem! If your potato salad was at room temperature for more than two hours it is recommended that you discard it. However, if it has been in an airtight container in the fridge within two hours of preparation, it may last three to five days.

Not sure what to do with leftover potato salad? Why not have it for a satisfying breakfast with a poached egg on top. You can even serve it alongside some crackers, cold meats, and cheese for lunch. Whatever you do, don’t throw it away, as potato salad with mayo has a way of tasting better the day after it was prepared.