All-American Potato Salad

A backyard barbecue wouldn’t be complete without a big bowl of potato salad. Chances are, however, that salad isn’t what it could be. The potatoes might be mushy or the vinaigrette bland. How do you make perfect American-style potato salad? Here’s what we discovered:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

• Use firm-textured, full-flavored Yukon Gold potatoes. They hold their shape after cooking and won’t turn mushy in the salad. Do take the time to peel them first; their skin can be tough and papery.
• Use pickle juice in the vinaigrette. Because it is less acidic and sweeter-tasting than vinegar, we found that it could be used to great effect.
• Drizzle the still-warm potatoes with a mixture of pickle juice and mustard. The hot potatoes will easily absorb the acidic liquid and taste seasoned through to the middle.