Easy Redskin Potato Salad

Easy Redskin Potato Salad is a classic potato salad made with redskin potatoes, eggs, pickles, onions, and mayonnaise. It's a great potato salad recipe for BBQs and picnics. 

It's the beginning of May and that means it's time for another blog swap via the Secret Recipe Club!

This month I was assigned to Amanda who writes the blog Dancing Veggies. Amanda is a 20-something vegetarian whose blog focuses on vegetarian recipes that are quick, easy and whose ingredients are easy to find in any market. But the one that caught my eye while browsing her recipe index was her mom's recipe for potato salad.

Picnic and BBQ season is almost upon us!! (Hard to believe since the weather around here is still refusing to cooperate with the calendar this year!) Here in NE Ohio, a good potato or macaroni salad (or both!) is a must at late spring/summer gatherings. Given a choice, I will choose potato salad over pasta salad every single time.

Amanda's mom's recipe is simple, yet delicious. The "secret" in the salad is the addition of pickle juice. Yup, the juice out of the jar of your favorite pickle variety.

My version of Amanda's Mom's Potato Salad

For my version of this potato salad, I used my favorite brand of bread and butter pickles and the juice they were packed in. For extra pickle pizazz I also added some chopped bread and butter pickle chips too!

I subbed baby redskin potatoes for the white potatoes called for in the original recipe (because that is what I had in my pantry). And that's how Easy Redskin Potato Salad was born.

I prepped my potatoes by cooking them in the microwave. Cooking potatoes in the microwave helps keep them from overcooking and getting to mushy.

If you are lucky like me and have a fresh vegetable option on your sensor microwave, there is absolutely no guesswork involved in nuking up perfectly cooked potatoes! If you don't have this option on your microwave...I'm sorry. You must make sure you have it on your next model. You will love it, I promise!

Of course, you can still boil and drain the potatoes if you don't have a way to cook them in the microwave...but for me...the microwave is the ONLY way to go!

Why red potatoes are the best for making potato salad

Redskin or red potatoes are perfectly suited for recipes like this potato salad. They tend to hold their shape better when cooked better than their counterparts; Yukon Gold (yellow potatoes) or Russet Potatoes because they contain less starch. 

Using the "baby" variety of redskin potatoes means the potatoes will cook up extra tender. 

If you can't find or don't have baby redskins on hand, no worries. The regular sized redskin potatoes or red potatoes will work well. Just make your dice about an inch to a 1/2 inch. 

You can scrub and leave the peels on the redskin potatoes for this potato salad recipe. It's usually quite thin and easy to eat once cooked. Especially the baby variety. 

How to make potato salad with red potatoes

Start by dicing and cooking the scrubbed red potatoes. You can do this in several ways but my two favorite ways are microwaving them and boiling them. 

Microwaving red potatoes for potato salad:

Put the diced red potatoes in a microwavable bowl. Cover with a damp paper towel. If you have a vegetable sensor button on your microwave, cook for hard vegetables. If not, cook the diced red potatoes on HIGH for 7 -8 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. 

Boiling red potatoes for potato salad:

Put died potatoes in a pot big enough to hold them and cover them completely with COLD water. Bring to boil and boil about 8 to 10 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain well. 

PRO TIP: If you are using the boiling method, you can cook your hard boiled eggs along with the potatoes. Before draining the potatoes, remove the eggs to an ice bath (ice and cold water in a bowl).

While potatoes are cooking, dice the onion and the pickles. Make the dressing by whisking mayonnaise, yellow mustard, and pickle juice in a large bowl. 

Add the cooked potatoes, peeled and diced hard boiled eggs, chopped pickles, and diced onion to the dressing and stir to combine. 

 Stir in paprika and salt and pepper to taste. 

Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to allow flavors to meld. The warm potatoes will absorb some of the dressing giving the salad great flavor. 

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 3 days. 

Variations and Substitutions

• Use smoked paprika for a nice smoky flavor in place of the sweet paprika
• Add sliced green onion to the salad
• Substitute baby yellow potatoes for the baby red potatoes
• Add a 1/2 cup of diced celery and or shredded carrot
• Substitute Dijon mustard for the yellow mustard or leave it out entirely
• Use any kind of pickle you fancy! Dill, spicy, any variety will work.

Amanda's mom sure does know a thing or two about potato salad because this one is delicious!! A true tribute to her mom...and quite fitting too, since Mother's Day is this upcoming weekend!

red potato salad, redskin potato salad, potato salad made with red potatoes

side dish, salad

American

Yield: 6 servings

Author: Renee Paj

Easy Redskin Potato Salad

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinInactive time: 4 HourTotal time: 4 H & 25 M

A classic style potato salad made with red potatoes, pickles, hard boiled eggs, and onions in a creamy mayonnaise and mustard dressing.

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs. baby redskin potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
• 2 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
• 2 TBSP yellow mustard
• 1/2 cup reduced fat olive oil mayonnaise
• 1-2 TBSP pickle juice from the jar of your favorite pickle brand
• 1/4 cup chopped pickles
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika, plus more for garnish if desired

Instructions

1. Cook potatoes until fork tender in the microwave or in water on stove top. Drain.
2. While potatoes are cooking, in a large bowl, combine the mustard, mayo, and pickle juice with a whisk.
3. Add the warm, cooked potatoes to the mayo-mustard mixture. Add in the chopped egg, onion, and chopped pickle. Gently stir to coat everything in the mayo mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add in 1 tsp. paprika and stir. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to combine flavors and allow salad to cool completely.
4. Serve cold and garnish with more paprika, if desired.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

225.82

Fat (grams)

6.33 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

1.26 g

Cholesterol (grams)

65.16 mg

Carbs (grams)

36.76 g

Fiber (grams)

4.68 g

Sugar (grams)

3.18 g

Net carbs

32.09 g

Protein (grams)

6.39 g

Sodium (milligrams)

378.55 mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate

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