Balancing Act Once the potatoes were perfectly cooked, light, and bright, the rest was simple: balancing flavors Nothing too hardcore nerdy here Rice wine vinegar is my favorite allpurpose vinegar, and it works well in potato salad Two tablespoons in the cooking water, another to dress the hot potatoes, and a final two in the mayonnaise mixture added plenty of layered brightness Mayonnaise—be it storebought or homemade (here)—is a must A cup and and a quarter is less than average for pounds of potatoes, but I like to keep the mayo a little light By stirring the salad vigorously, you can bash off the corners of the potatoes, which get mashed up and increase the ratio of creamy dressing to tender potato chunks For heat, I added a few tablespoons of whole-grain mustard (Dijon or even yellow would work fine if you prefer) Pickles are a point of contention in potato salad I like to use chopped cornichons in mine, mostly because that’s the type of pickle I usually have in my fridge Chopped dills, bread-and-butters, or even a couple scoops of pickle relish also work just fine Chopped celery and red onions add necessary crunch to the mix To be honest, though, once the potatoes are properly cooked and seasoned, the dressing itself is very much a matter of personal taste I like sugar in mine, others don’t Then again, whether or not it needs black pepper is not a matter of taste—put in the pepper There are few dishes much humbler than potato salad, but if you want to gussy it up a bit, you could do worse than to add a handful of chopped fresh herbs Parsley and chives work great I sometimes add scallion greens, because they seem to spontaneously generate in my vegetable drawer If you’ve saved your celery leaves, you can go fancy by using them Now I know that there are those who like to add pickle juice Those who like to add garlic Those who add sour cream Really, all those things could be great, and as far as flavorings go, there’s no right way to make a potato salad The keys to remember are: • Use russet potatoes • Cut them evenly and start them in cold water, seasoned with salt, sugar, and vinegar (1 tablespoon of each per quart of water) • Season the potatoes again with vinegar as soon as they come out of the water • Use bold flavors, because cold food tastes bland without ... necessary crunch to the mix To be honest, though, once the potatoes are properly cooked and seasoned, the dressing itself is very much a matter of personal taste I like sugar in mine, others don’t Then again,... flavorings go, there’s no right way to make a potato salad The keys to remember are: • Use russet potatoes • Cut them evenly and start them in cold water, seasoned with salt, sugar, and vinegar (1 tablespoon... tablespoon of each per quart of water) • Season the potatoes again with vinegar as soon as they come out of the water • Use bold flavors, because cold food tastes bland without