Skip The Mayo: The Perfect Potato Salad Starts With This Greek Sauce

Potato salad has long been associated with mayonnaise, but swapping in a famous Greek sauce is a creative way to use tzatziki in your everyday cooking, giving the whole dish a fresher, lighter — not to mention more garlicky — kick. While tzatziki is a staple in Greek cooking, it is usually served as a dip or alongside dishes such as grilled meats and vegetables, not as a salad dressing. Recipes can vary, but it's most often made with Greek yogurt mixed with shredded cucumber, plenty of garlic, olive oil, and fresh herbs like dill or mint. The yogurt easily replicates the creaminess that the mayo normally brings while all the other components add some serious flavor to your potatoes.

And potatoes are exceptionally good at carrying bold flavors such as these. They have a neutral taste that makes them an ideal canvas for bolder ingredients — think of how they pair naturally with the likes of curry spices, mustard, horseradish, bacon, and sour cream in other dishes. And so tzatziki simply takes this same idea in a decidedly Greek direction. 

Potato salad works best with waxy potatoes such as Yukon Golds or fingerlings. These hold their shape after boiling much better than very starchy varieties. Cut larger potatoes into evenly sized chunks so they all cook at the same time, then once they are fork-tender, let them dry and cool slightly before adding the tzatziki. Yogurt-based dressings can separate or curdle when exposed to too much heat, plus overly wet potatoes may make it too watery and diluted. If you have time, a good homemade tzatziki will definitely give you the best control over all the garlic and herbs you want to add, but if you're in a rush, a tub from the store will make the whole process easier, and you can upgrade a store-bought dip with some finishing touches.

Finally, feel free to really lean into the theme by adding more Greek-salad-inspired ingredients — think red onion, crumbled feta, olives, sliced green pepper, and capers. Finish it off with a good crack of black pepper and serve it with warmed pita or flatbread. And once you give potato salad a little summery Greek twist like this, you'll never go back.