Potato Salad
With mayonnaise or with broth? Four regional versions of the same salad. The debate gets all its answers right here.
- Preparation
- 25 min
- Cook/bake time
- 25 min
- Total
- 1 hr 50 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 201 kcal
- Servings
- 6
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cooking & baking
- 25 min
- Resting
- 1 hr
Only 50 min of that is hands-on – the rest takes care of itself.
With mayonnaise or with broth? Four regional versions of the same salad. The debate gets all its answers right here. The foundation is the same everywhere: waxy potatoes, dressed warm. What differs is the binder, and family peace and Christmas dinner depend on it.
Why this works
The one step that makes all four versions succeed is dressing them while warm. Potato starch increasingly takes on a crystalline form as it cools down, a process called retrogradation that makes the cell structure dense. As long as the potato is warm, the starch granules are still swollen and the cell walls permeable, so broth, vinegar, and oil actually penetrate. Poured onto cold slices, the same amount of marinade stays on the outside and pools at the bottom of the bowl. Waxy varieties are right for a second reason: they have less starch overall, their cells hold together when stirred, and the salad doesn't get mushy. The one hour resting time afterwards is not a courtesy, but the period in which the marinade migrates inwards.
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Your pick: Southern German, with broth · None
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Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Cook potatoes in their skins
Cook the potatoes in their skins for 20 to 25 minutes until they can be easily pierced with a knife but do not fall apart. The skin holds the potato together and prevents it from soaking up water. Cooked peeled, the salad becomes watery.
- 2
Peel and slice warm
Peel the potatoes as hot as you can handle them and cut them into slices about five millimeters thick. They are easier to peel when warm, and above all, their cells are now still receptive to the marinade.
- 3
Dress warm
Pour the marinade over the still warm potato slices and fold everything in carefully without stirring, from bottom to top with a spatula. This step is the most important in the whole recipe: cold potatoes absorb nothing more, and the marinade ends up at the bottom of the bowl.
- 4
Let rest for an hour
Cover the salad and let it rest at room temperature for at least an hour. During this time, the marinade migrates inwards and the salad becomes juicier on its own. Only then season to taste with salt and pepper. You won't hit the right amount beforehand.
Our best tips
- Always dress warm, no matter which region. It is the only step that all four versions share, and the only one that cannot be corrected afterwards.
- Use waxy varieties. Floury ones fall apart when folded in, and the salad turns into mashed potatoes with vinegar.
- Potato salad does not belong on the table cold. Out of the fridge, the starch has retrograded and the salad tastes floury. Take it out an hour beforehand.
Tasty variations
Swabian with beef broth
Instead of vegetable broth, use strong beef broth and add a tablespoon of roast drippings. This is the standard version in Swabia and significantly more savory.
The day before
All four versions can be prepared the day before. The mayonnaise variants even gain from this. For the broth variants, fold in another splash of warm broth the next day.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 201 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 3.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26.8 g |
| – of which sugar | 2.5 g |
| Fat | 7 g |
| Fiber | 4.1 g |
Where the 201 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
- For build-your-own recipes the figure applies to the default choice. A different combination shifts it, sometimes considerably.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
Which version do the nutritional values apply to?
For the standard selection: southern German with broth, without additions. The mayonnaise versions are significantly higher. The Russian Olivier comes to a good double.
With mayonnaise or with broth?
Both are correct, it is a question of origin. South of the Main line, it is traditionally dressed with broth and vinegar, north of it with mayonnaise. This recipe allows for both because the foundation is identical.
Why do I have to dress the potatoes warm?
Because their starch crystallizes as it cools and the cells become dense. Warm, they absorb the marinade. Cold, it stays on the outside and collects at the bottom of the bowl.
Can I prepare potato salad in advance?
Yes, it is even best to do so. All versions steep overnight and get better in the process. Just don't serve it cold. Take it out of the fridge an hour beforehand.
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