Where are my mayo haters at?! Although I’m a mayo lover, I understand that many of you gag at the mere thought of glancing at a jar of mayonnaise. Fear not, because you can have your potato salad with no mayo too – Ultimate Red Skinned Potato Salad is killing the mayo-free potato salad game!
So, what makes it the “ultimate”? Let’s review: creamy, red skinned potatoes are mixed with caramelized onions (one of my love languages,) crumbled bacon (yasss) green onions (yum,) and chopped hard-boiled egg (oh yeah,) then coated in a creamy, zippy Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette. It is, as they say, incredible! Light yet decadent tasting. Dare I say it’s a fresh take on potato salad?
Ultimate Red Skinned Potato Salad is also good warm or cold so make then enjoy right away, or stash it in the fridge the night before a BBQ or picnic. Either way, this potato salad is double-serving-worthy!
How to Make This Recipe
Start by making the Honey-Dijon vinaigrette which will replace the mayonnaise in this potato salad. It’s thick, creamy, and popping with flavor. Combine extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, plus salt and pepper in jar or bowl then shake or whisk to combine.
Set the vinaigrette aside then chop baby red skinned potatoes. If you can’t find baby reds, just use regular red potatoes and chop them up. Cut the potatoes into quarters then place in a big pot of salted cold water and bring to a boil over high heat.
Cook the potatoes until fork-tender, 10-15 minutes, then drain and pop them back into the pot off the heat for 5 minutes to help dry out the potatoes.
Add 1/3 cup of the vinaigrette to the warm potatoes then toss to combine.
Transfer the dressed potatoes to a large bowl with a lid then refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to overnight. This is a trick I learned from my Mom and her Classic Potato Salad recipe – dress the warm potatoes first and the flavor of the vinaigrette really sinks in!
While the potatoes are cooling in the fridge, get to work on the caramelized onions which will add a slightly sweet yet savory flavor to the potato salad that’ll make everyone say, hmmm, what IS that?
Chop a large sweet onion then add to a large skillet over medium heat with extra virgin olive oil and a dash of salt. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the onions are deeply caramelized, stirring every so often and turning the heat down slightly if they start to brown too quickly. Set the onions aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, hard-boil eggs. Hard-boiled eggs are a staple in mayo-based potato salads and I couldn’t bear to leave it out of this vinaigrette-based version. It’s one of my favorite parts. Place eggs in a saucepan filled with cold water then bring to a boil. Place a lid on top then remove the pan from the heat and let sit for exactly 12 minutes.
After 12 minutes, plunge the eggs into ice water or run under cold water until they’re cool enough to handle but still warm. Peel then chop. Eggs = done!
Once the potatoes have been chilling for at least an hour, add the caramelized onions and chopped hard-boiled eggs, as well as chopped green onions, and cooked then crumbled bacon.
Add enough dressing to coat the salad to your liking (I use about 1/2 cup total) then toss to combine.
Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary then stash the potato salad back into the fridge to chill completely or eat slightly-warm. It is totally awesome either way. I hope you love this new, MAYO-FREE take on potato salad – enjoy!
More Salad Side Dish Recipes
Cauliflower Faux-Tato Salad Gluten Free Potato Salad Napa Sweet Corn Salad Caprese Sweet Corn Salad
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