The battle of potato salads

It’s time for the biggest battle since Leona Lewis beat Ray Quinn on the X factor in 2006. Maybe the biggest potato battle ever.

The battle of the potato salads.

I might just be the most qualified person on the internet* to talk about this subject and judge these glorious salads.

*I’m the potato queen, who else would there be?

Can’t beat a classic potato salad

I’m a firm believer in not messing with the classics. Boiled baby potatoes, mayo, maybe some chives for health and some sliced red onion or wholegrain mustard if you’re feeling adventurous. It’s a crowd pleaser for the whole family, and that’s why it’s a classic!

Recently I’ve thought about experimenting with a hybrid of coleslaw and potato salad. Finely shredded cabbage and carrots mixed into the mayo dressing with the potatoes, to combine two of my favourite things in one. I’ll let you know when I give it a go.

If you’re from a family of carnivores like I am, you’ll be able to guess what’s coming next. BACON. It makes everything better. Just fry off a few rashers of smoked streaky and crumble it into your next potato salad, then thank me later. That extra salty hit makes all the difference!

Variety is the spice of life

If you want to turn things up a notch, I’m here to help. Coronation Potato Salad is a tasty homage that I made for the Queen’s jubilee a few years ago and I still make it on the regs. If you want to amp up the curried flavour, whack in a spoonful of good quality curry paste when mixing your dressing.

If you’re looking for something a bit more decadent, then my Truffle Potato Salad is the one for you. It’s the richest and fanciest side dishes to pull out and is delicious with roasted chicken breast or a pan fried steak. My one main tip for this is to use the best quality truffle oil that you can get your hands on. Some cheaper truffle oils taste really synthetic and are made with flavourings instead of real truffles, so it’s worth the splurge!

If you really want to push the boat out, try an Asian inspired potato salad. Mix some gochujang into the mayo, chuck in loads of sesame seeds and spring onions then slather it all in crispy chilli oil. Or if you’re looking for something summery to go with grilled meats, a Moroccan vibe works well too with ras el hanout, pomegranate seeds and pistachios.

Potato salad is for life, not just for summer

I made this on a whim last Christmas for my 24 days of Christmas potatoes series. Since then, it’s been in my head as one of  favourite potato salads that I’ve made – and I’ve made a LOT of them over the years.

I’ve got a funny feeling that I’m going to be asked for this Festive Potato Salad every Boxing Day going forward and I’m ok with it. Roasted potatoes in a creamy sour cream and creme fraiche dressing with chives and bacon, plus chucking in some finely shaved sprouts and chunks of walnuts for a bit of cronch.

If you know people that don’t like sprouts, this will convert them. When they’re finely shaved like this, they become a lot less intense and taste more like regular cabbage!

The Viral Crispy Potato Salad

By now you have got to have heard of the viral crispy potato salad. The spices from the smash potatoes mixes into the mayo to give you the most delicious dressing. I’ve kept my version quite simple with just spring onions and sliced shallots, but you can go crazy!

Change up your spice mix on the spuds, add bacon, cheese, whatever you can think of – get it in there bab.

One thing I do recommend with this particular salad is mixing everything together at the last minute. No one wants a soggy spud. Usually I do this when the potatoes are warm but not roasting hot, so the spices melt into the mayo a little better and the dressing coats the spuds. If you want a full video recipe for this, go check it out over on my instagram.

Have a cheeky scroll while you’re there, there’s a lot of other potato recipes to get stuck into.

Honourable Mention

I know some of you are mayo haters. I may not agree with you, but I realise that you can’t be left out of the deliciousness that is potato salads any longer.

Sometimes when I’m in my healthy girl era, I like to make a simple vinaigarette with mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil. Whisk it all up until combined and pour over your boiled spuds, then chuck in loads of fresh herbs and maybe a few anchovies for saltiness.

If using this method, it’s really easy to adapt your flavourings depending on the main part of the dish. Balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar works really well for replacing lemon juice for a different flavour profile, or chuck in some spices. You can use up some of those flavoured olive oils your mom bought you back from her holiday in Greece in 2014 which have just been sitting gathering dust on the shelves.