What Are the Best Potatoes for Potato Salad? (2024)

FAQs

Which type of potato is best for potato salad? ›

Waxy potatoes are generally considered the best for classic potato salad because they retain their shape, you don't have to peel them, and they have a smooth texture. People who prefer a creamy potato salad that soaks up dressing like a sponge, though, opt for a starchy potato.

Waxy Potatoes

In terms of appearance, their skin is much thinner. Unlike starchy ones, which become soft when cooked, waxy potatoes hold their shape. This makes them good for making soups or stews, potato salads, or casseroles.

Waxy potatoes hold their shape well after cooking so are great for boiling, roasting or slicing. Use them to cook casseroles, soups or potato salads. When to avoid: Waxy potatoes are not good for mashing because they hold their form and produce a chunky mash.

What to look for: White and Yukon Golds are reliable in-between potatoes to always have around. Starchy: For potato salad, you'll want to stay away from starchy, thick-skinned potatoes like russets, which will fall apart during the cooking process.

Not Dressing The Potatoes at The Right Time

When using vinaigrette, don't let the potatoes cool before dressing them. And when making a mayonnaise-based potato salad, stay away from dressing warm potatoes. The hot potatoes will cause the mayonnaise to melt and become oily.

How to Boil Potatoes for Potato Salad. Waxy potatoes can be cooked whole or cut, with or without the skin. Starchy potatoes should be cooked whole with the skin on, then peeled and cut after they're cooked. Select medium Russet potatoes, not large ones, to ensure the skin doesn't split while cooking.

If you add them to already boiling water, the outside of the potatoes will cook too quickly and turn mushy before the inner part is fully tender. For evenly cooked potatoes, toss them into a large pot, cover with cold water, and then add salt before bringing them to a boil.

The Yukon Gold potato, though yellow fleshed, is a cross between a yellow and a white potato and is usually labeled as such. A “yellow” or “gold” potato is not a Yukon Gold potato, but all three potatoes have similar starch contents and flavors and can be used interchangeably in recipes.

To keep your salad from falling apart into mush, it's important to use the best potatoes for potato salad. Skip the russet potatoes and use a waxy variety instead, like Yukon gold, red potatoes or fingerlings.

They lack the waxy characteristic of red potatoes, which means they're easy to mash without becoming too gummy. Overall, Yukon Golds are a fantastic all-purpose potato that can be baked, fried, mashed, boiled or sautéed.

Are Yukon gold and Yellow potatoes the same? ›

The Yukon Gold potato, though yellow fleshed, is a cross between a yellow and a white potato and is usually labeled as such. A “yellow” or “gold” potato is not a Yukon Gold potato, but all three potatoes have similar starch contents and flavors and can be used interchangeably in recipes.

If the potato has a yellow or red skin, it is a waxy potato. Common varieties of yellow are Yukon gold, German Butterball and Banana. Common varieties of reds are Red Bliss, French Fingerling, Red Gold and Red Norland. Waxy potatoes all share the qualities of being thin skinned and high in moisture content.

Starchy potatoes such as Russet or Idaho potatoes are ideal for baking, mashing, and frying. Waxy potatoes are best to use in any recipe where you want the potato to keep its shape. Examples are Red Bliss, Russian Banana, and fingerlings.