Unforgettable Potato Salad Begins With Using The Right Vinegar

Unforgettable potato salad might at first sound like an oxymoron. Cold chopped spuds, some kind of dressing, maybe a smattering of diced celery for texture, and a shake of paprika for color are enough to create a convincing side. But there are actually plenty of chef-approved potato salad upgrades if you know where to look. And sometimes you don't need to look farther than your own refrigerator for an ingredient swap that will level up potato salad. Using apple cider vinegar is a great way to make the dish more memorable.

When a recipe calls for vinegar, plenty of people will reach for a bottle of distilled white they have on hand. It certainly does the job of adding a perky acid to all that it meets, including potato salad, but its tasting notes are not the most complex. Apple cider vinegar is also fairly common across home kitchens, and boasts more dimension. It's certainly tart, but with a little fruity sweetness that takes the edge off. Those qualities can make a notable difference when your other ingredients are naturally bland potatoes and minimally more flavorful mayo. The switch will also make an even bigger difference in vinegar-based potato salads, giving the finished salad more nuance than you'd get from whatever fermented acid you have lying around.

Should you favor a vinegar-based potato salad, like those common in Germany, you can certainly swap the usual white vinegar with an equal portion of apple cider vinegar. It will still cut the richness of the bacon that's also commonly used, and its lightly fruity properties will also provide a nice balance to the salty, fatty protein.

The same goes for the more classic mayo-anchored potato salads that you'll find all around the United States. You can simply swap the vinegar in your existing favorite potato salad recipe for apple cider vinegar, instead, or even add a tablespoon or so per pound of potatoes if none was called for to begin with. Just be sure to mix the apple cider vinegar in with the mayo first to fully combine, then coat the potatoes. Consider adding just a sprinkle of sugar, really no more than a teaspoon, to help highlight the apple cider vinegar's fruity sweetness. Actual diced apples are also an obvious addition to really make the whole bowl's theme coalesce, but other fresh, firm fruits like pears or even dried ones like cherries or dates can have a similar effect.