This creamy potato salad with egg is a cherished recipe from South Africa, known for its rave reviews. Sometimes the easiest recipes are the best, and this potato salad is no exception. The potatoes are creamy, with a firm texture, complemented by the pieces of hard-boiled egg that are mixed through.
Once you've made the basic potato salad, you can modify it to your heart's content. The choices are endless - you are limited only by your imagination. Here's the basic recipe, which will cater for 4 to 6 people as a side dish. To make a larger bowl of potato salad simply use more ingredients.
Ingredients for South African Potato Salad
- Potatoes: Use waxy potatoes that hold their shape when boiled and have a creamy 'bite' to them. Red potatoes (or Roosters), Charlottes, Jersey Royals, salad potatoes, or even Maris Pipers are great choices.
- Eggs: The eggs should be hard-boiled so that you can cut them up easily. Hard boiled eggs will take 10 minutes. For everyday breakfasts, we love soft boiled eggs and those take 6 minutes.
- Onion: Peel the onion and cut it into a fine dice no larger than a pea. If you enjoy larger pieces of raw onion then cut them to the size that you enjoy.
- Mayonnaise: The actual amount will depend on your own taste. Hellmans Real Mayonnaise is what I prefer using when it comes to mayonnaise. It has a more balanced taste, not too tangy and not bland. If you like a lot of mayonnaise you may need to add extra.
- Green onions: This is mainly for the finish so any onions like spring onion or chives. The green onions provide a fresh, mild flavor to the salad.
- Seasoning: Salt, ground black pepper, and optionally a little ground paprika.
- Optional Additions: Frozen peas add a beautiful green color and a sweet taste that balances well with the creaminess.
Here are the ingredients you will need for this creamy, tangy potato salad:
- 4 - 5 medium potatoes
- 1 medium onion
- 3 large eggs
How to Make South African Potato Salad
Step 1: Cook the Potatoes and Eggs
Place the potatoes in a pan of lightly salted water along with the eggs and bring to a boil. Boil for 8 to 12 minutes until you can pierce the potato with a fork. Remove from the heat and fill the pan with cold water to stop the potatoes from cooking further. Once the potatoes have cooled you can drain the water away.
Why cook the eggs with the potatoes? Purely to save on energy. If you prefer cooking your eggs separately, by all means, do so. Just make sure that they are hard-boiled.
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Step 2: Prepare the Ingredients
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into bite-sized pieces and place them in a serving dish. Peel and chop the eggs and add the eggs and chopped onions to the potatoes.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into large chunks.
Step 3: Dress the Salad
Stir in the mayonnaise, taste for seasoning and add salt and ground black pepper to your own taste. Optionally sprinkle with a little ground paprika. The actual amount of mayonnaise will depend on your own taste. If you like a lot of mayonnaise you may need to add extra.
Step 4: Chill and Serve
Cover and refrigerate the potato salad for at least 30 minutes to an hour before serving.
Tips and Variations
- Can I use a different type of potato for this salad? Yes! While russet potatoes work well, you can also use Yukon Gold or red potatoes. These varieties hold their shape better after boiling, making them ideal for potato salad.
- Can I cook the potatoes without peeling them? Yes, you can certainly boil the potatoes with the skin on and remove the skin once the potatoes have cooled. If you are using new or baby potatoes for the salad (that have very thin skins) you may prefer to leave the potatoes unpeeled.
- Do I have to use eggs in this recipe? No, you can leave the eggs out.
- Vegan Version: Use vegan mayo and vegan sour cream to make the salad dairy-free and vegan-friendly.
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Serving Suggestions
Ask any South African this question and you will get the obvious answer 'a barbeque'. I like to serve my potato salad with cold meat such as these air-fryer chicken drumsticks or slices of oven-baked gammon. Potato salad also goes well with fish or seafood and I often serve it with garlic butter prawns.
Storing Potato Salad
- Do I have to store potato salad in the refrigerator? Yes, this is recommended to prevent contamination of the potato salad. If you plan to serve the potato salad at room temperature you can let it stand on the counter for an hour or so before serving. If you choose to do this, I would be inclined to discard any leftovers rather than putting them back into the refrigerator. Potato salad should always be kept chilled. It will be fine if you serve it chilled from the refrigerator and then return the dish immediately to the refrigerator for another meal.
- Refrigeration: Store leftover potato salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: No, this dish is not suitable for freezing as the mayonnaise will split once defrosted. It’s not recommended to freeze potato salad, as the texture of the potatoes and the creamy dressing can change when thawed. However, you can store this dish in a covered container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
Why Potato Salad is So Important
Potato salad is a classic side dish that’s loved at many gatherings. It’s perfect for backyard barbecues (South African braai) or holiday parties because it’s easy to make, tastes better the next day, can be made ahead and it will conveniently pack up-to-go.
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