Potato salad gets a little makeover with this smashed potato salad. Simple and delicious, the tender Yukon gold potatoes and classic dressing are perfect!

I love a good potato salad, and for years, I stuck with my favorite tried-and-true classic potato salad. It’s a good one (probably the best ever, really). But over the years, I’ve branched out a little and gotten wild and crazy with potato salad.

I can’t say I’ve been disappointed. This loaded baked potato salad is absolutely amazing and a hit at every potluck I’ve ever brought it to.

A spoon taking a large serving of creamy potato salad out of a white bowl.

And this German potato salad? Probably one of my favorite side dishes of all time.

I also can’t forget this roasted potato salad; a little out of the box but ridiculously yummy.

Looks like I kind of have a thing for potato salad.

After spending a while living on the edge, in potato salad speak, I’ve been craving a return to classic potato salad. Such it is with today’s recipe – there’s just one teeny little twist.

Half the potatoes in this salad get smashed…and I love it. I love the contrasting textures and extra creaminess mashing those potatoes adds to the salad.

Throw on some tangy, creamy dressing that takes seconds to mix together, and you’ve got yourself a delicious smashed potato salad. Don’t forget the hard-boiled eggs – quite possibly the only reason I eat potato salad in the first place.

A white bowl full of creamy yukon gold potato salad.

Now. I have a funny little story to share about potato salad. Earlier this month, I helped serve lunch to 100 or so construction workers.

We asked people to make or buy potato salad for the lunch and had 8 or 10 volunteers do just that (bless each of them). Guess what? Not one of those potato salads looked like the other.

It was kind of hilarious! The three of us serving lunch would unveil a new potato salad and look at each other like, “well, I never would have thought to put {insert any number of ingredients) in there!”

But you know what? Every potato salad was gobbled up to rave reviews. (Sort of reminds me of Shepherd’s Pie – you ask 20 people to make that dish and you’ll probably get 25 different versions.)

So go crazy with this smashed potato salad!

I tend to like it simple and add-in-free, but the base of the salad with those tender, half-mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and {mostly} classic dressing is so spectacularly yummy, you could throw your favorite extras in there (celery, onions, olives, pickles…) and it would accommodate them very well.

The trick with potato salad (all kinds) is to salt the water when boiling the potatoes and to season the salad really well. Now get to it!

One Year Ago: Skillet Lemon Glazed Chicken
Two Years Ago: Chopped Thai Crunch Salad with Sweet and Spicy Dressing
Three Years Ago: Breakfast Burritos

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Smashed Yukon Gold Potato Salad

4.64 stars (47 ratings)

Ingredients

Salad:

  • 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 6 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, (can sub green onions)

Dressing:

  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Place the potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt in a large pot and cover with water by at least 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat slightly, and simmer until the potatoes are tender 12-14 minutes. Drain the potatoes well and place them back in the pot or in a serving bowl.
  • Drizzle the 1 tablespoon vinegar over the potatoes and toss to combine. Using a potato masher, coarsely mash about half of the potatoes right in the pot or bowl; just eyeball it. Give the potatoes a good toss and let cool completely.
  • Add the eggs and chives to the pot/bowl with the cooled potatoes.
  • For the dressing, whisk together the buttermilk, mayonnaise, mustard, cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt and pepper.
  • Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and stir to combine. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate for several hours.

Notes

Make it Your Own: with potato salad being a very personal thing, be sure to make this your own style by adding any additional ingredients you like (chopped celery, sweet or regular pickles, onions, etc). I am on the plain and simple side of things but this is a fabulous base recipe to play around with.
Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 236kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 144mg, Sodium: 1113mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 3g

Recipe Source: adapted from Cook’s Country June/July 2016 (changed a bunch of stuff – used more eggs, less vinegar, altered the dressing recipe, used chives instead of green onions, etc)