This American-Style Potato Salad recipe that comes from Julia Child is everything a potato salad should be. Creamy potatoes, savory bits of bacon, hard boiled eggs, celery and onions. A few tablespoons of sour cream add a zingy flavor. It’s a dish that will appeal to everyone who loves a good potato salad.
Yukon Gold potatoes are the best option for this salad. Tender and creamy, they hold their shape very well. They are the potatoes I use most often.
The cooked potatoes soak up a cider vinegar and chicken broth (or potato water) bath before the other ingredients are mixed in. The potatoes are luxuriously creamy when prepared this way.
I save a bit of bacon, chives, and sometimes a tablespoon of chopped hard boiled egg to sprinkle over the top of the salad just before serving. Mahalo Julia for another great recipe that will be a regular feature on my menus.
- 2 pounds medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes (try to select potatoes that are similar in size)
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chicken broth or potato cooking water
- ½ cup finely chopped sweet onion
- ½ cup finely chopped celery
- 4 slices crispy cooked bacon, chopped or crumbled
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped pickle, sweet or dill
- 3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lactose free sour cream (or regular sour cream)
- *If you want to top the salad with some bacon and diced hard boiled egg before serving reserve ½ hard boiled egg and a tablespoon of chopped bacon.
- Peel the potatoes and cut into ⅓-inch thick slices. Cut each slice into a half-round or quarter-round slices depending on how large your potatoes are. Place potatoes in a large saucepan with water just to cover. Add 1½ teaspoons salt. Heat to a simmer, and cook potatoes for about 6 minutes, or until just cooked through. Test for doneness after cooking for 5 minutes. If the potatoes need more time continue to cook and test after each additional minute to ensure they do not overcook. Immediately remove from the heat and drain potatoes in a colander (save 2 tablespoons of cooking water). Once drained, transfer potatoes to a large, wide bowl. Stir the cider vinegar and chicken broth (or potato water) together. Drizzle over the potatoe pieces. Gently toss potatoes with a thin spatula. Let potatoes sit for about 20 minutes to absorb the liquid, tossing once or twice during that time.
- Add the prepared onion, celery, bacon, pickle, hard boiled eggs, chives and parsley. Whisk the mayonnaise and sour cream together. Stir in the mayonnaise mixture and gently fold everything together. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Cover the salad and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Sprinkle chopped bacon and hard boiled egg over the top before serving (optional).