Move Over, Dill Pickles — Potato Salad Will Wow Your Guests When You Add This Variety Instead

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Pickles, generally, are a pretty common potato salad mix-in, but the consensus on exactly which kind to use isn't as clear. Being that dill pickles are probably what most people imagine when they think of preserved cucumbers, they make their way into many preparations without much thought. And dills can be great: sour, salty, and vinegar-forward, with an abundance of alliums and herbs. But making this the ubiquitous pick leaves too many other pickle varieties on the shelf. Bread and butter pickles, for instance, are an excellent pivot for your next potato salad.

Flavors can vary from brand to brand, and perhaps even more so when you're working with homemade pickles. But the bread and butter variety is generally less intensely briny than dill. They're notably sweeter, but still have the tanginess you expect from a pickle. That juxtaposition makes for a more multi-layered tasting experience when you dice and mix bread and butter pickles into your potato salad (just as you would with any other kind) while still mingling unobtrusively with the other ingredients. And you can further tailor any other components to better complement the bread and butter pickles accordingly.

For all of its subtly dynamic flavor, the bread and butter pickle doesn't have the snap of a dill. So, if you previously relied on pickles for more texture, this is an opportunity to consider other sources. Celery is always an obvious contender, and it won't compete with the pickles, or much else. Water chestnuts will give your potato salad more crunch, too. You can also try something like crispy frizzled onions on top, but remember that they're likely to soften under the dressing when fully mixed in.

You'll also probably want to avoid any additional sweetish elements when using bread and butter pickles, but hot ones can be terrific — especially if you start with an already spicy product like Bubbies Horseradish Bread & Butter Chips. Sliced jalapeños are pretty ideal in this case, and the grassy, fresh ones will even add their own crunch. Using fresh peppers instead of the marginally easier jarred kind will also keep the potato salad from becoming overly vinegary; something to keep in mind with any other pickled items you might be eyeing. Otherwise, the same proteins, herbs, and spices that you might already use to upgrade a potato salad will work wonderfully here, too.