Potato salad is particularly beloved in the South, but it’s popular all across the US. This recipe for California potato salad puts a little West Coast zing into the dish, with the addition of a few ingredients that you won’t find in “regular” versions of this picnic and potluck staple. It’s easy to breathe new life into an old favorite with this fresh and crisp version.
To start with this recipe uses red potatoes. I used 5 medium ones and I probably could have added one more. This is good to know if I’m ever feeding a big crowd. To give the salad its colorful look keep the skins on.
Once you have the potatoes chopped and boiled you’ll need to let them cool off for a bit before putting them in the fridge for another 20 minutes or so. Once the potatoes are completely cooled then you can begin making the sauce.
In addition to the usual suspect of mayonnaise, this dressing has dried dill weed, dill relish, and a little bit of dijon mustard. It’s a far cry from the very yellow potato salads made with copious amounts of yellow mustard.
This flavor is more subtle, but is quite heavy on the dill. If you don’t love dill all that much I’d say leave out the dried dill altogether as the relish packs a lot of flavor all on its own.
As for the veggies in this potato salad celery adds crunch while parsley and green onions add a lot of fresh flavor. The thing I love most about this recipe, though, is the black olives. They just make the whole dish come together. Plus, they make this a very unique recipe that you won’t find at every BBQ or potluck .
Unlike many other foods with “California” this recipe mercifully has no avocado or anything like that. It’s just a really (really) good potato salad.
California Potato Salad
Allergens: Eggs
Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 lbs red potatoes, cut into 1” cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus extra for final seasoning
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup dill relish
- 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
- black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 1 (3.8 oz) can sliced black olives, drained (1/2 cup)
Preparation
- Add potatoes to stockpot or saucepan and add 1 teaspoon salt. Fill pan with just enough water to cover potatoes. Boil for 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Do not overcook. Drain and set aside to cool for at least 15 minutes before chilling in the refrigerator for another 20 minutes.
- Once potatoes have cooled combine mayonnaise, mustard, relish, dill weed, salt and pepper, and parsley together. In a large bowl combine potatoes, sauce, green onions, celery, and black olives. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Recipe adapted from PCC.