Red Skin Potato Salad

This creamy red skin potato salad with bacon and sour cream is the ultimate summer side dish!

Boiled red skin potatoes are tossed with mayonnaise, sour cream, and white wine vinegar then combined with crunchy celery and green onion, fresh herbs, and topped off with crispy bacon.

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It's no secret, everyone loves a great potato salad!

I especially enjoy more unique variations and when I discovered this red potato salad in an old family cookbook, I knew I had to update it and share it on the blog!

This recipe is a great make-ahead side dish solution perfect for potlucks, BBQs, and family gatherings. Serve it up with grilled salmon, slow cooker chicken legs, and so much more!

It's quick, easy, and unbelievably tasty.

In this blog post, I am going to teach you how quick and easy it is to make this delicious recipe and tell you why it is THE BEST red skinned potato salad recipe you will ever have!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Substitutions
• Equipment
• How to Prep Ingredients for Potato Salad
• How to Make Red Skin Potato Salad
• Variations
• Storage
• What to Serve with Potato Salad
• Expert Tips and FAQS
• More Easy Salad Recipes
• Red Skin Potato Salad

Ingredients

To get started, we are going to gather the ingredients. For this recipe, fresh is best! You will need:

• Red Skinned Potatoes: Make sure they are fresh and thoroughly cleaned. You will want to chop them into bite-sized pieces. Depending on the size of your potatoes, this could mean in quarters or even smaller.
• Mayonnaise: I like to use real mayo for this recipe. This helps give it the ultimate creamy touch.
• Sour Cream: Adds a little bit of tang to the recipe and lightens up the volume of the sauce.
• White Wine Vinegar: This adds some acidity to the dressing and leaves a lingering finish.
• Mustard: I like to use yellow mustard when making potato salad. The mustard adds an extra layer of flavor leaving your tasters saying "Yum, what is that!?"
• Celery: Fresh celery adds a clean and crunchy texture that is lovely when paired with creamy potatoes.
• Green Onion: Fresh green onion adds an extra zip of sweet but peppery flavor, and an extra splash of green color to the potato salad.
• Dill: Dill adds that fresh and zesty herbaceous flavor which is so good against the other flavors in this recipe.
• Bacon: Bacon makes everything better, including this potato salad!
• Salt and Pepper: You can adjust these to suit your taste. They help round out the recipe for the perfect finish.

See the recipe card for the exact quantities of each one.

PRO TIP: Keep your red-skinned potatoes covered with water while chopping to prevent discoloration.

Substitutions

I have tested my way through many recipes to come up with this one. Along the way, I have discovered a few substitutions you can make:

• Red Skinned Potatoes: You can also make this with other potato varieties.
• Mayonnaise: Nothing is quite as indulgent as a good, real mayonnaise but in a pinch you could use greek yogurt (but omit the sour cream) or a vegan mayonnaise alternative.
• Sour Cream: Plain greek yogurt will work in place of sour cream if needed.
• White Wine Vinegar: This ingredient can be replaced with red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. I have also made it with fancy boutique vinegar and it turned out delicious!
• Mustard: Yellow mustard can be swapped for dijon if needed.
• Don't care for celery? Use chopped cucumbers or green peppers instead.
• Green Onion: Swap with sweet or white onion if you prefer. I have also made this with chives and it was delicious!
• Dill: I love adding fresh dill to this potato salad but you could also use fresh parsley, chives, or cilantro.
• Bacon: If you don't have home-fried bacon use packaged bacon bits.

Equipment

This red skin potato salad with sour cream recipe doesn't require much equipment at all! You will need:

• Cutting board and knife: To prepare the potatoes and vegetables.
• Large pot: To simmer the potatoes.
• Strainer: For draining the potatoes after cooking.
• Measuring cups and spoons: This will help to ensure proper amounts of the ingredients.
• Large mixing bowl: Perfect for mixing everything together.
• Whisk: The best utensil to thoroughly combine the wet ingredients.
• Large Spoon: For stirring everything together.

How to Prep Ingredients for Potato Salad

Before we get started making the salad, I want to talk a little bit about preparing the ingredients.

• Make sure your potatoes are super fresh and very clean.
• You do not need to peel the potatoes before boiling them, but you will want to cut them. I like them in bite-sized pieces which usually means quarters but depending on the potato size may mean smaller.
• Chop the veggies for the potato salad super small.

PRO TIP: Cutting the potatoes before boiling them not only cuts down on cooking time but also saves time waiting for them to cool so you can handle them for cutting.

How to Make Red Skin Potato Salad

Now that you have your ingredients prepped and equipment gathered, it's time to learn how to make your new favorite potato salad!

1. Start by placing your potatoes in a pot of water and bringing them to a gentle simmer. Starting with the potatoes in cool water helps manage the starches and gives the potatoes optimal texture.
2. Simmer them until they are fork tender. It will take about 15-20 minutes depending on the size. Be careful not to overboil or they will make the salad mushy. Once they are done cooking, drain them thoroughly.

PRO TIP: Drain them well. It is important you remove all the water because any residual water could make the creamy dressing too thin.

2. Next, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, yellow mustard, white vinegar, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined.
3. Give it a taste at this time and make sure it is to your liking, then adjust if necessary.

4. Add the potatoes to a bowl and use a large spoon to stir. You want the dressing to completely coat the potatoes.

5. Finally add the vegetables, dill, and bacon.
6. Give the potato salad a couple of final stirs until fully combined.

PRO TIP: Sometimes, I like to keep some extra veggies, dill, and bacon to the side and finish the dish off by sprinkling them over the top.

The dish is finished at this point and you could serve it warm if you like, however, I recommend covering it and placing it in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.

I think serving the salad cold really highlights the flavors and you will find that taste improves as it sits.

Variations

Once this easy potato salad becomes your new favorite, you may find yourself looking for ways to change it up. Here are some variation ideas for you to truly make it yours!

• Make it spicy: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, pickled jalapeno, or a splash of hot sauce to add some heat.
• Add some pickles: Pickles are a common add-in for potato salad and taste great in this homemade potato salad with dill.
• Load on the veggies: Add in cucumber, bell pepper, carrots, or radish for the ultimate veggie-filled potato salad.

Storage

If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, you will want to store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

I would not recommend freezing this recipe.

What to Serve with Potato Salad

This recipe is my favorite versatile side dish!

• Serve it up with your favorite burgers on the grill.
• It makes a tasty side dish for chicken. It goes great with fried chicken or these slow cooker chicken legs.
• For busy weeknights, serve it along with some air fryer BBQ wings.
• It also makes a tasty side for these juicy ranch pork chops.

Expert Tips and FAQS

I am so excited for you to try my family's favorite potato salad with dill. Remember these tips before you give it a try:

• Start with cold water.
• Keep the potatoes at a simmer, not a boil.
• Drain the potatoes thoroughly to keep the dressing nice and creamy.
• Whisk the dressing ingredients before adding them to the potatoes.

More Easy Salad Recipes

Did you try this recipe?  Please leave a star rating in the recipe card right below! You can also write a review in the comment section further down the page I always appreciate your feedback. And don’t forget to tag me @freshcoasteats in your photos on social media, I'd love to see your results!