Best Julia Child Potato Salad

If you ask me, Julia Child knew what she was doing when it came to potato salad.

This classic American side dish brings together tender potatoes with a creamy, tangy dressing that hits all the right notes. Crispy bacon and hard-boiled eggs add protein and richness, while celery and onion give it just the right amount of crunch.

The potatoes get tossed with vinegar and chicken stock while they’re still warm, which helps them soak up all that flavor. A simple dressing made with mayonnaise, sour cream, and Dijon mustard ties everything together, along with sweet pickle relish and fresh chives.

It’s a satisfying dish that works for summer cookouts or weeknight dinners, the kind of recipe you’ll make over and over again.

What Kind of Potatoes Should I Use?

Yukon Gold potatoes are the star of this recipe, and they’re really the best choice for potato salad. These yellow-fleshed potatoes have a naturally buttery flavor and a creamy texture that holds up well when boiled and tossed with dressing. If you can’t find Yukon Golds, you can substitute with other waxy potatoes like red potatoes or new potatoes, which will also hold their shape nicely. Avoid russet or Idaho potatoes for this recipe – they’re too starchy and tend to fall apart, turning your salad into mush. When shopping, look for potatoes that are firm with no soft spots or green tinges, and try to pick ones that are similar in size so they cook evenly.

Options for Substitutions

This classic potato salad recipe has some room for swaps if you need them:

• Yukon gold potatoes: Red potatoes are a great alternative since they hold their shape well. Avoid russets though – they get too mushy for potato salad.
• Cider vinegar: White wine vinegar or regular white vinegar work fine here. You’re just looking for that tangy kick to season the warm potatoes.
• Celery or peas: If you’re not a fan of either, try diced bell peppers or cucumbers for that satisfying crunch.
• Bacon: Skip the bacon for a vegetarian version, or use turkey bacon as a lighter option. You could also try crispy fried shallots for a different savory note.
• Sweet pickle relish: Dill pickle relish works if you prefer less sweetness. You can also finely chop whole pickles – just drain them well so your salad doesn’t get watery.
• Mayonnaise: While homemade is Julia’s preference, good quality store-bought mayo works perfectly fine. For a lighter version, replace half the mayo with Greek yogurt or add some sour cream as the recipe suggests.
• Fresh chives or scallions: Green onions, shallots, or even finely diced red onion can step in if you don’t have chives or scallions on hand.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Cooking

The biggest mistake you can make with potato salad is overcooking the potatoes, which turns them into mush when you try to mix everything together – they should be tender but still hold their shape, so test them with a fork at the 5-minute mark.

Skipping the step where you dress the warm potatoes with the vinegar mixture is a missed opportunity, since warm potatoes absorb flavors much better than cold ones, giving you a more flavorful salad overall.

Another common error is adding the mayonnaise while the potatoes are still warm, which can make it separate and turn oily, so let your potato mixture cool to room temperature first.

For the best texture, fold your ingredients together gently with a rubber spatula instead of stirring vigorously, which helps keep those potato pieces intact and looking good.

What to Serve With Potato Salad?

Potato salad is a natural sidekick to just about any grilled meat you can think of – burgers, hot dogs, ribs, or grilled chicken all pair beautifully with this creamy, tangy dish. I love serving it at summer cookouts alongside some corn on the cob and coleslaw for a full spread that everyone can dig into. It’s also great with fried chicken or pulled pork sandwiches if you’re going for more of a picnic vibe. Since this potato salad is pretty rich with the mayo and bacon, I like to balance it out with something fresh like sliced tomatoes, watermelon, or a simple cucumber salad on the side.

Storage Instructions

Store: Keep your potato salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Since it has mayo and hard-boiled eggs, you’ll want to make sure it stays cold. It actually tastes better the next day after all the flavors have had time to mingle together!

Make Ahead: This is a great dish to prep in advance for gatherings. You can boil the potatoes and eggs a day ahead, then assemble everything the morning of your event. Just wait to add the mayo until a few hours before serving so it stays nice and creamy.

Serve: Always keep potato salad chilled until you’re ready to eat, especially if it’s sitting out at a picnic or party. Don’t leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or just 1 hour if it’s really hot outside.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 1700-1850
• Protein: 35-42 g
• Fat: 90-105 g
• Carbohydrates: 200-215 g

Ingredients

For the potato base:

• 2 1/2 lb potatoes (peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup chicken stock or potato water
• 2 tsp salt

For the salad mix:

• 1/2 cup onion (finely minced)
• 3/4 cup celery (diced into 1/4-inch pieces)
• 5 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)
• 3 tbsp sweet pickle relish
• 3 large hard-boiled eggs (chopped)
• 1/4 cup fresh chives (snipped)
• 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper

For the dressing:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Step 1: Prepare the Mise en Place and Cook the Potatoes

• 2 1/2 lb potatoes
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup onion
• 3/4 cup celery
• 5 slices bacon
• 3 large hard-boiled eggs
• 1/4 cup fresh chives

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/2-inch cubes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the potato cubes and cook for 5-6 minutes until just tender but still holding their shape—they should be cooked through but not mushy.

While the potatoes cook, mince the onion finely, dice the celery into 1/4-inch pieces, cook and crumble the bacon, hard-boil and chop the eggs if not already done, snip the fresh chives, and measure out all remaining ingredients.

Drain the potatoes, reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid (or use chicken stock if you prefer).

Step 2: Dress the Warm Potatoes with Vinegar and Stock

• warm cooked potatoes from Step 1
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup chicken stock or potato water

While the potatoes are still warm, combine the apple cider vinegar with the reserved 1/3 cup potato cooking liquid (or chicken stock), then pour this mixture over the drained potatoes.

This is the key to Julia’s technique—the warm potatoes will absorb the tangy liquid, developing flavor throughout.

Let the potatoes sit undisturbed for 10 minutes to fully absorb the dressing.

I like to do this step while the potatoes are still steaming because the warmth helps them soak up the flavors better than if they were cool.

Step 3: Build the Salad with Vegetables, Bacon, and Eggs

• dressed potatoes from Step 2
• 1/2 cup onion
• 3/4 cup celery
• 5 slices bacon
• 3 tbsp sweet pickle relish
• 3 large hard-boiled eggs
• 1/4 cup fresh chives

After the 10-minute resting period, add the minced onion, diced celery, crumbled bacon, pickle relish, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and fresh chives to the potatoes.

Gently fold everything together with a wooden spoon or spatula, being careful not to break up the potatoes.

The goal is to evenly distribute all the ingredients while keeping the potato cubes intact.

Step 4: Make the Dressing and Finish the Salad

• potato and vegetable mixture from Step 3
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, and Dijon mustard until smooth and well combined.

This creamy dressing base should be uniform with no streaks.

Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and gently fold it in until all the potatoes are coated and the dressing is evenly distributed.

Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning with salt and white pepper as needed—I find that starting with 1/2 teaspoon of each and tasting before adding more gives you better control over the final flavor.

Best Julia Child Potato Salad

Delicious Best Julia Child Potato Salad recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 52 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 1775

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the potato base

• 2 1/2 lb potatoes (peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup chicken stock or potato water
• 2 tsp salt

For the salad mix

• 1/2 cup onion (finely minced)
• 3/4 cup celery (diced into 1/4-inch pieces)
• 5 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)
• 3 tbsp sweet pickle relish
• 3 large hard-boiled eggs (chopped)
• 1/4 cup fresh chives (snipped)
• 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper

For the dressing

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Method

 

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/2-inch cubes. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the potato cubes and cook for 5-6 minutes until just tender but still holding their shape—they should be cooked through but not mushy. While the potatoes cook, mince the onion finely, dice the celery into 1/4-inch pieces, cook and crumble the bacon, hard-boil and chop the eggs if not already done, snip the fresh chives, and measure out all remaining ingredients. Drain the potatoes, reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid (or use chicken stock if you prefer).
2. While the potatoes are still warm, combine the apple cider vinegar with the reserved 1/3 cup potato cooking liquid (or chicken stock), then pour this mixture over the drained potatoes. This is the key to Julia's technique—the warm potatoes will absorb the tangy liquid, developing flavor throughout. Let the potatoes sit undisturbed for 10 minutes to fully absorb the dressing. I like to do this step while the potatoes are still steaming because the warmth helps them soak up the flavors better than if they were cool.
3. After the 10-minute resting period, add the minced onion, diced celery, crumbled bacon, pickle relish, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and fresh chives to the potatoes. Gently fold everything together with a wooden spoon or spatula, being careful not to break up the potatoes. The goal is to evenly distribute all the ingredients while keeping the potato cubes intact.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, and Dijon mustard until smooth and well combined. This creamy dressing base should be uniform with no streaks. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and gently fold it in until all the potatoes are coated and the dressing is evenly distributed. Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning with salt and white pepper as needed—I find that starting with 1/2 teaspoon of each and tasting before adding more gives you better control over the final flavor.