Grilled Potato Salad
Looking for a fun twist to a classic summer dish? Try this Grilled Potato Salad!
I put potato salad into the same category as chocolate chip cookies. Yes, they both count as acceptable side dishes for a summer picnic. But there are also hundreds if not thousands of recipes for both. And everyone has their favorite version. It might be a recipe that was passed down from Grandma. It might be a recipe that comes from the deli at your local grocery store. Whatever it might be, I’ve learned one thing…don’t mess with people’s recipes for chocolate chip cookies or potato salad!
Ok, so I’m breaking that cardinal rule and messing with the potato salad recipe. But trust me, it’s worth it. Like really, really, really worth it. No, I didn’t take a scoop of potato salad and drop it on the grill. Instead, I grilled the potatoes and then proceeded to incorporate them into a classic potato salad recipe. Holy guacamole, Batman! This Grilled Potato Salad was one delicious side dish!
I feel like potato salad is one of those recipes that varies quite a bit from region to region. Do you use a mustard base or a mayo base? Or perhaps even a vinegar base? Red potatoes, yellow potatoes or Russets? Skins on or skins off? Hard boiled eggs? Cheese? There are a lot of decisions to make when it comes to potato salads.
For me, I typically prefer this Southern Red Potato Salad. I’m told the mustard is what makes this one Southern. It’s the style of potato salad I grew up eating, so it’s no surprise that it’s the style I prefer. But I came across this New England Potato Salad last year, and I gotta say that it gives the Southern style a run for it’s money. There’s no mustard in that one, and get this…it includes shredded cheddar cheese. Horseradish cheddar at that. I was skeptical at first, but now I’m a believer. It’s delicious!
Since summer picnics aren’t complete without at least 2-3 variations of potato salads, I decided to hit the kitchen and play around a bit. Since the grill pretty much stays lit all summer around here, I thought it might be fun to grill the potatoes for this Grilled Potato Salad. (I did parboil them a bit so the ‘taters wouldn’t dry out on the grill.) While this does require one extra step, it is well worth your time. Trust me. We had a few extra red potatoes leftover after I finished this recipe, so I just roasted them up in the oven and added them to the salad. You can taste the difference between the roasted ones and the grilled ones. Seriously.
What is the one key ingredient in your potato salad?
Grilled Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 4 pounds medium red potatoes
- 3 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
- 4 hard-boiled eggs coarsely chopped
- 1 ½ Tbsp brown mustard
- 1 ½ Tbsp cider vinegar
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp garlic minced
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup ~2-3 ribs celery, diced
- ½ cup red onion diced
- 2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 3 Tbsp green onions chopped
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a large stockpot; add enough water to cover potatoes.
- Bring water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, turn off heat but leave stockpot on burner. Let potatoes sit in hot water for 6-10 minutes. Test doneness by inserting a fork into a potato. The outer portion should be easily pierced while the inner portion remains firm.
- Transfer potatoes into a bowl of cool water to stop the cooking process. Let cool and then pat dry.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Slice potatoes into quarters or eighths (depending on size). Brush potatoes with oil and place cut-side down on grill. Grill for 4-5 minutes, flip and grill other side for 4-5 minutes.
- Remove potatoes from grill and place in large bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and toss until well coated.
- Chill for 2 hours or overnight.
- {Optional} Garnish with additional fresh parsley and green onions before serving.
You are so right about people loving their version of potato salad. For me it’s got to be a mayo dressing with just the right seasonings and yours looks perfect to me! 🙂 What I am willing to change up is the potato. Sometimes it’s red potatoes, Yukon gold, even russets. Grilling would give it that touch of smokiness and a little bit of crunchy outside.As long as I still have a great mayo dressing, I will give it a try!
I agree with you, Kathy. I’ve tried several different potatoes in my potato salads, and I’m not terribly picky there…but I usually end up going back to red potatoes in the end. Definitely try tossing the potatoes on the grill, but you’ve got to pre-cook them a bit first. This is a fun twist on potato salad for sure!
You are totally right about everyone liking their own version, I think with most potatoes recipes it’s just like that, for me, I have to put some vinegar when I take the potatoes out of the boiling water and before putting the dressing on! go figure! I love your version I must try it!
I agree with you about the vinegar, but I put a splash or two in the actual potato salad when I’m stirring it all together. I’ve never tried putting it on before the dressing. Thanks for the tip, Gaila! 🙂
Lil Shashi simply adores Southern Red Potato Salad – with it’s mustard and mayo – so she’d probably get you to turn the other cheek while she emptied all this potato salad onto her plate – yup, and she’d eat it all too! I really like how you added in some Greek Yogurt to balance off the mayo, personally, I only use Greek yogurt in my potato salad and sometimes a creamed avocado. Now I need to get my hands on some of that Horseradish cheddar!
Haha! Well, you know what? Maybe I’ll just make lil Shashi a whole batch of potato salad just for herself this summer! 🙂 A creamed avocado would be a great addition…I’ve never thought about that! I do like subbing out most of the mayo for Greek yogurt. I really can’t tell a difference, and it makes me feel much better when I eat 5 servings of this potato salad. Hah! I kid…maybe.
Hi David! You know you got us hooked on Horseradish Cheddar! I always have some on hand! Potato salad is one of my comfort foods, if it’s in the frig I’ll eat it for breakfast! I like chunks of dill pickle in mine and I also make another version with loads of fresh dill. Bring on picnic season! 🙂
Were you able to find a reliable source for that horseradish cheddar?? (If not, I’ll mail you some!) I would never have thought about putting that one in potato salad…but so darn good!! I love potato salad, too, and I’m thinking some big chunks of pickles would be a good addition to this one. But only dill…none of those bread and butters. Blech. 🙂
Holy guacamole Batman! I just love this phrase! LOL!
I love that you grilled the potatoes first and then added them to the salad. Brilliant!!
Growing up my Grandma would add crispy bacon bits and grated cheddar cheese to the potato salad and since then no potato salad tastes the same.. it´s one of those childhood memory things 🙂
Haha! I might use that phrase too much. Ooops! So the grilled potatoes added such a fun layer of flavor to this salad, Johlene. You gotta try it sometime! And I hear ya on the bacon and cheddar…bacon and cheese make everything better. Seriously!
Wow, I’ve never thought of doing a grilled potato salad before. It’s a great new twist on a classic recipe. I bet it gives it so much more flavor! This recipe looks amazing, I need to try it and bring it the 4th of July party I’m going to this year!
Thanks so much, Jess! I gotta say that I was really pleased with this one. You gotta parboil the potatoes first, but then toss em on the grill and get those good sear marks. It’s a fun twist, and I know we’ll be making this one for picnics all summer long this year. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!
I don’t know where you come up with these great recipes! I would have never thought to grill the potatoes before making potato salad–it’s brilliant. It looks so delicious! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Haha…thanks, Amanda! This one came up a couple of weeks (months?) ago when I grilled avocados for guacamole. I was like…hey, I wonder what else I can grill and turn into salad form. That’s when potatoes popped into mind! It’s a really tasty recipe…perfect for summer outings at the lake! 🙂
Well what’s food blogging if we don’t mess up with classics sometimes 😉 I bet the grilling made the potatoes so much more delicious! YUM YUM!
Haha! I know, right? I’ve always loved taking a classic recipe and putting a little spin on it…so I guess that means I was destined to be a food blogger one day, huh? 🙂 Thanks, Manali!
So much yes. Potato salad AND chocolate chip cookies- 2 foods which shouldn’t be amended, sticking to one classic recipe…except for this one, which clearly has been pimped up!
This is random but I just had a craving for chocolate chip cookies WITH potato chips in them.
Chocolate chip cookies with potato chips would be excellent! That sweet + salty combo…yum. Chocolate chip cookies with potato salad? Not so much.
What a beautiful mess you made, David! Grilled potatoes? Sure, I’m in. Indeed, I’ve never tried these classic American potato salad recipes so I may try them this summer. And answering your question, the key ingredient in my potato salads is…potato (surprise). Well you anticipated another kind of answer, didn’t you?:)
A beautiful mess! I should have named my site that. Haha! Because I make a mess in the kitchen…but I always clean it up. 🙂 Oh my gosh, you’ve never tried a classic American potato salad? You need to do that…and soon! My Southern Red Potato Salad is one of my favorites. We make that salad at least several times every summer. And the grilled twist is super fun! As long as you don’t put lavender in it, then I’m happy!
Haha, it seems that I have been breaking a lot of rules recently then, and messing with potato salad. That’s what I love about potato salad though, everyone has their own way of doing it and this looks delicious!
Hey, what is the point of rules if they can’t be broken, right? 🙂 You’ve been posting some amazing picnic salads lately! Hey, let’s all get together and just have a picnic of only summer salads. I bet we could eat for days and be happy as pigs! (And we might look like pigs when all is said and done, too…haha!)
I finally perfected my potato salad, but this recipe is giving me more ideas for improvement 🙂 I love that the potatoes are grilled and the addition of red onion!
Haha…yes! Take that perfected potato salad, but just grill the potatoes first. It takes the flavor to a whole new level! 🙂 Thanks, Megan!
Love potato salad! This looks delicious, David. What a great idea to grill the potatoes! The perfect summer food, I can’t wait to give this a try! 🙂
This is definitely the perfect summer food, Jess! You’ve got potato salad which is already a win, but then the grilled potatoes bring so much flavor! 🙂
LOVE potato salads made with red potatoes Dave and then you went and grilled them up. Nice! I’ll take this, a few BBQ ribs and those cookies now. 🙂
Red potatoes are my favorite for potato salad, too, Kevin! I mean I’m not gonna be picky…but if I get my choice, bring on the red potatoes. And grill ’em up first please! 🙂