Make Potato Salad Taste 10x Better With A Dollop Of This Tangy Ingredient

The warmer months are for enjoying classic barbecue dishes, and potato salad is always a fan favorite around the grill. While there are various forms of potato salad around the world, the American version typically consists of diced potatoes, mayonnaise, vinegar, hard-boiled eggs, celery, spices, and other ingredients that create a creamy and light result. This cold dish makes for a great side to add to any picnic table, and there is more than one method you can use to achieve the perfect potato salad. If you're looking for an ultra creamy salad, cream cheese is the unexpected ingredient you need to be adding to yours. 

While there are a number of secret ingredients you could add to your potato salad (like a sprinkle of sugar) to make it even better, cream cheese is one that works for just about any recipe. You can swap a portion of the mayo that your recipe calls for with cream cheese, or you can even fully replace the mayo altogether with it. Mayo can be overpowering in a potato salad, and using the cream cheese as a replacement for some or all of it will add just the right texture to make your salad smooth. Plus, the cream cheese adds a savory and slightly tangy flavor that will take your dish to the next level. Once you try your potato salad this way, you won't want to make it any other way.

If you're fully replacing mayo with cream cheese in your potato salad, you'll want to use about 4 ounces of cream cheese per 2 pounds of potatoes. The prep method is as simple as combining all of your ingredients in a bowl, but for an easier mixture, make sure to soften your cream cheese first.

If you like the flavor the mayonnaise provides in your potato salad and don't want to leave it out altogether, you can add in a ½ cup mayo to the salad. You can keep this potato salad simple with a classic recipe, or spice it up and make a loaded baked potato salad with chives, cheddar, and bacon — you could even replace the plain cream cheese with scallion cream cheese. If you're craving this salad in the colder months, you could make it using freshly boiled potatoes with cream cheese, scallions, and seasonings for a warm and savory dish.

For a cold salad, refrigerate it covered for at least four hours before serving. When it's ready to enjoy, sprinkle some paprika on top to garnish, and you have the creamiest potato salad that only required one extra ingredient. An old-fashioned potato salad recipe may always hit the spot, but it's worth it to get creative once in a while.