My New York Style Potato Salad reminds me of home. I grew up in NYC and enjoyed deli style potato salad all the time. While I still love it, I’ve learned to really lighten it up using light mayo and fat free Greek yogurt (FAGE is my go to yogurt) as my base and by using a lot less of it. I load up the salad with lots of good for you veggies and use tri-color potatoes for a nice dose of color. Cooking my potatoes in stock really ups the flavor and becomes my secret ingredient here. A little trick: cut your chives with a kitchen scissors! It makes the job so much easier and you can just snip those chives right over the salad.
There are several twists in the recipe including:
. the tri color potatoes
. the smaller cut of potatoes
. cooking in stock
. lightening it up with fat free yogurt and light mayo
As with all my recipes, feel free to use full fat products, different veggies or all white potatoes. While I’m lightened this up by just using bacon as a garnish, if you don’t eat pork or want to lighten it up more, just omit it. It tastes just as great without it. The same goes for the stock used. If you are vegan, use vegetable stock. Don’t have stock at home? Just use water and add a little more salt.
TIPS: watch those potatoes as they cook and test often. You just want the potatoes to be cooked through. You don’t want them soft, mushy or falling apart. So, once your fork can go through them fairly easily, they are done. Taste one to be sure it isn’t hard (you might have to taste a couple of times). This is the key to the perfect potato salad. Also, taste, taste, taste for seasoning. Check your seasoning several times throughout the preparation so you know if you need more salt and pepper. This is a great recipe so put in the little extra time and wait for the applause!
To get started, cut your potatoes. Add two teaspoons of kosher salt to the cold or room temperature stock in a large pot. Add your potatoes and cook over a medium high heat until the potatoes are cooked through. About 20-30 minutes. Be sure to test for doneness.
While the potatoes are cooking, cup and chop your celery, red bell pepper, green onions, chives and pickles. Put one tablespoon of the dark green tops of the onion, red bell pepper and chives to the side. You’ll use this to garnish the salad at the end.
Put the rest in a bowl.
Make your dressing. Add the mayonnaise and yogurt to a measuring cup or small bowl and combine. Put to the side.
Drain your cooked potatoes in a colander saving a cup of the cooing liquid from the put. Put the drained potatoes in a large bowl.
Mix four tablespoons of the reserved cooking liquid and the cider vinegar in a small bowl. Add to the potatoes. Toss to coat all the potatoes. Let the potatoes sit for 10 minutes to absorb the liquid. After 10 minutes, drain off any excess liquid still in the bowl.
Salt and pepper the potatoes and taste. Adjust seasoning if necessary. All all the chopped veggies and pickles (except for the garnish you put to the side). Toss carefully to combine. Taste again and adjust again if needed.
Start adding your mayo dressing a couple of heaping tablespoons at a time and toss to combine. You may not need all of the dressing so layer it in in stages until you have the right amount for you. Taste and season again if necessary.
Put the salad in the fridge for at least an hour to chill and let the flavors meld together.
If you are using the bacon (highly recommended), cook until really crispy and drain on paper towels. Break into small pieces and top the salad right before serving.
To serve, place lettuce leaves on a platter and top with the potato salad and garnish with the veggies you put to the side and the bacon bits. Dig in. If you like potato salad, be sure to try my German Potato Salad recipe too.
Looking for other cold side dishes? Try some of these:
Wheat Berry Vegetable Salad with Dried Fruit and Walnuts
Mandarin Oranges, Pomegranate & Pistachio Farro Salad
Poppyseed Pasta Salad with Chicken, Almonds & Cherries
New York Style Potato Salad
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Lbs. Red, white and blue baby potatoes, cut in half length wise, then sliced across into thirds.
- 32 Oz. Carton of chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 Tsps. Kosher salt, plus more to season the finished salad
- 1 ½ Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
- 4 Green onions sliced, dark green separated from the white and light green parts (save about 1 tablespoon of the dark green tops for garnish)
- 2 Celery stalks, finely chopped
- ½ Red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 Gherkins sweet pickles, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp. Chopped chives, separated
- 3 Slices of bacon-cooked crisp, crumbled
- ¼ Cup Light mayonnaise
- ¼ Fat Free Greek Yogurt
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Baby Bibb lettuce or other mixed lettuces to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Place the cut potatoes and 2 teaspoons of salt into the cold or room temperature stock. Put the heat to medium high and cook until the potatoes are just cooked through. About 20-30 minutes. (See notes below)
- Cut and chop your celery, red bell pepper, green onion, chives and pickles. Put 1 tablespoon of the dark green tops of the onion, 1 tablespoon of the red bell pepper and 1 tablespoon of the chives to the side. You’ll use that to garnish the salad at the end. Put the rest of the mixture in a bowl.
- Mix the mayonnaise and yogurt in a mixing cup or small bowl and put to the side.
- Scoop out a cup of the cooking liquid (stock) from the pot and put it to the side. Drain your potatoes well and add to a large bowl.
- Mix 4 tablespoons of the reserved cooking stock and the cider vinegar in a small bowl and add to the potatoes. Stir so all the potatoes are well coated. Let that mixture sit for at least ten minutes to let the potatoes absorb the liquid. After that time, if there is any excess liquid in the bowl, drain it off.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. The key here is to taste. Then, add all the chopped veggies & pickle (except the vegetables you put to the side for garnish). Toss everything again (carefully so you don’t break the potatoes). Taste again. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Add the mayo and yogurt mixture a couple of heaping tablespoons at a time and mix. While you can use the entire mixture, I find that sometimes I don’t need all of it (depending on the size of the potatoes). So, add and taste until satisfied. Season again if necessary.
- Put in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- Cook the bacon until super crispy. Drain on paper towels. Crumble into small pieces.
- Place the lettuce on a platter and the potato salad on top. Garnish with the bell pepper, the green onion and the chives. Sprinkle the bacon on top. Enjoy.
