Potato salad, a classic for picnics and BBQs, holds a special spot in American cuisine. When I lived in South America, they made potato salad frequently. It was nothing more than boiled potatoes, diced and mixed with mayo. That was literally all it was, and you know what? It was delicious.

But let’s be real, we don’t make any sort of salad without dressing it up nice and pretty, and this really shows in a good, American potato salad. Let’s talk about the little things you can do to make a perfect potato salad!

Don't Overcook the Potatoes

A common problem in your salad is overcooked potatoes. Make this mistake, and your potatoes start falling apart when you mix the salad, becoming more of a potato mash.

The simplest way to avoid this problem is to cube your potatoes before boiling them. This will help make sure they cook evenly. Potatoes left whole will cook fully on the outside before the inside, thus getting mushy. No thanks!

Allow the Potatoes to Cool

This is a big deal for two reasons. First, a good potato salad has some fresh ingredients like herbs. To get the most freshness from those ingredients, you don’t want to mix them with something hot. Just picture warm, wilty parsley and say ick. Second, a lot of potato dishes benefit from leaching as much water as you can from them. After you’ve drained them, throw them right onto a cool, dry baking sheet and let them steam off in the open air. This will get a lot of water out of the potatoes and give you a good salad.

Balance Fat and Acid

Potatoes are a vehicle for flavor, and the most flavor you’ll get is actually from the mayo used in your salad. But on top of that, you need to balance the fatty flavor with some good acid. Acid will cut through the fat and keep it from cloying you.

I layer acid by adding lemon juice and high-quality (ideally fermented) mustard.

Texture is Everything

Okay first off, let’s not eat crunchy potatoes. Make sure they’re adequately cooked. But second off, a big bowl of mushy potatoes gets old really fast. Balance it out with some crunch and some chew! Most popular recipes involve celery and/or bacon. I’ve also seen hard-boiled eggs, which add some silkiness. Personally, I like adding ultra-thin slices of sweet onion and some cut up radishes, for their pungency.

Finish it with Freshness

Like I mentioned above, it’s a good idea to add fresh ingredients. Potatoes are a hardy ingredient that balance other flavors really well. Pair that with the fatty mayonnaise, and you’ll definitely want some flavors to really pop. My personal recipe uses chives, onion and radishes, but I’ve also seen celery and parsley.

So there you have it! Potato salad is a simple masterpiece waiting to happen. With a bit of know-how and a dash of creativity, you can create a potato salad that steals the show at any gathering. Now go forth and boil some potatoes.