Make a creamy potato salad with pesto this summer! This is the perfect cold side dish for a barbecue or potluck. Made with prepared pesto, mayonnaise, eggs, red onion and my secret ingredient; pickles.
Everyone loves potato salad. It’s the perfect summer dish for entertaining for a few reasons, but my favourite? You can make it ahead of time. In fact, I think it’s even better the next day.
For this potato salad I love to use a combination of mayonnaise, yogurt, pesto and grainy Dijon mustard for the base. And then stir in the mix ins–I like mine to be pickle forward, so I’ve mixed in lots of pickles, red onion and hard boiled eggs.
I finish mine off with fresh basil–if you’re prepping this the day ahead, don’t top it with the basil until you’re ready to serve. The basil will actually oxidize (like an apple turns brown) and will turn black.
Creamy potato salad with less mayonnaise
I find using yogurt in the mix adds extra tang and acidity while also making it extra creamy without needing extra mayo. It’s only 1/4 cup yogurt to 3/4 cup of mayonnaise, but you could try playing around with these ratios.
If you’re looking for a lighter version, my potato salad with asparagus is another summer favourite.
Another trick that I learned from Martha Stewart’s recipe is to toss the potatoes when they are still warm in vinegar–plain distilled white vinegar will do. This acidity really helps to amp up the flavour and help balance the richness of the dish.
Generally speaking, I find potatoes can take a lot of salt and can handle the acidity–it helps to balance the flavours of the dish.
Find yourself with leftover pesto? Pesto cauliflower is a favourite side of mine to use up pesto, I also love making a delicious summer Italian sandwich.
Potato Salad with Pesto
Ingredients
- 3 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 tbsp white distilled vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
- 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp pesto
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 cup chopped dill pickles
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp basil, thinly sliced for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add potatoes, reduce heat to medium high and continue boiling for 10-12 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Toss with 2 tablespoons vinegar; season with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- In a separate small pot, cover eggs with 1-2 inches of cold water. Bring to a boil, cover and turn off the heat. Allow to sit for 10-12 minutes. Strain the water from the pan and run cold water over the eggs to cool them quickly and stop them from cooking further. When cool enough to handle, peel, chop and set side.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk mayonnaise with yogurt, pesto, Dijon mustard and salt. Stir in potatoes, chopped cooked eggs, pickles and red onion. When ready to serve, sprinkle with fresh basil.
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