While we love a classic caesar salad (and its modern iterations like kale caesar, or crispy chicken caesar wrap), we wanted to adapt its flavors for a summer staple, potato salad, to make a creamy Caesar potato salad. Potatoes love assertive flavors, so we think this homemade dressing is a perfect fit. With a few adaptations of course, which we’ll talk about below.
In broad terms, there are two general styles of potato salad that are popular in the U.S. There’s American/Southern style: mayo-based, with chopped eggs, celery, and usually a sweet relish or chopped sweet pickles. The other is German style, which is vinegar-based, and often served warm, with bacon and onions.
This potato salad is a bit of a hybrid. It’s got the vinegar from pickled red onions, but it also has a creamy mayo-based Caesar dressing, chopped eggs and crunchy fennel (or celery).
The secrets to the most flavorful potato salad
Seasoning potatoes while they are still warm is the key to the most flavorful potato salad. Warm potatoes are like sponges: their starches are porous, which allows them to absorb the vinegar, rather than have it just remaining on the surface. Even though this is a creamy potato salad, we still want the potatoes themselves to have a bright, tart flavor. In this recipe, we lightly pickle some red onions, and mix them, along with the vinegar, with the still warm potatoes. Once the potatoes are cooled, we add the rest of the ingredients and toss with the dressing.
Our second tip is to make the potato salad a day ahead, and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. This allows the flavors to develop and be absorbed more fully. In fact, you can pickle the red onions, and boil the eggs up to a day ahead as well, if you want to get a jump on things.
(I love anything make-ahead. The less last-minute work, the better, in my view.)
What even is Caesar dressing?
Some people think Caesar dressing originated in Rome, and some people think Las Vegas, but both those people are wrong. It was invented in Tijuana, Mexico in 1924, by Italian immigrant restaurateur Caesar Cardini, who nimbly sidestepped Prohibition by simply locating his restaurant across the Mexican border.
While mayo is key to American potato salads, and what we’re adapting here for simplicity, classic Caesar uses an emulsion made from egg yolks and Dijon mustard whisked with olive oil. The flavor is an umami-packed mix of garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, grated parmesan cheese and of course, anchovies.
Let’s talk Anchovies
It’s fascinating how polarizing anchovies are. Depending on who you’re talking to, they’re either the best thing that’s ever happened in the history of food, or devil fish sent straight from the bowels of hell to whisper sins into your ear. There is nothing in between.
Except, maybe, for Caesar dressing. People clearly love it, since the dressing is having a moment, but the anchovies often end up being a subtle, salty note. We love them, so we mash a full 3 or 4 into our dressing. If you’re less keen, try just one (or a small squeeze of anchovy paste). It won’t be overpowering, but will add a savory depth to the dressing. Of course you can make it without anchovies all together, but we’ll know and we won’t be angry, just disappointed. (Lie. We’ll be absolutely livid.)
How to use raw onions & garlic, without the harshness
In this recipe, vinegar serves two purposes. It seasons the warm potatoes, but we also use it to lightly pickle the red onions. Acid neutralizes the harsh, pungent sulfur compounds which make raw onions a bit intense. This means you get the lovely allium flavor and pink color, and you don’t get the harsh bite.
We also use the same technique for the raw garlic by neutralizing it with lemon juice before adding it to the dressing. So you get all the delicious garlic flavor and none of the nasty garlic burps!
Last but not least: texture, crunch & freshness
Good potato salad has a mix of textures. The potatoes are tender, of course, and chopped hard boiled eggs add extra creaminess. Traditionally, finely chopped celery adds the crunch, but we don’t love celery, and we do love fennel, so we use that. You can use whichever you prefer. The pickled red onions also add a nice crunch, and a large handful of chopped herbs adds freshness.
Our favorite herbs for this salad are chives, parsley and the fronds from the top of the fennel. Really, any soft herbs you have growing, or in the fridge will work great. Dill, tarragon and basil are also delicious. Stay away from hard herbs like rosemary, thyme and oregano, as they’ll overpower the other flavors.
Creamy Caesar Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced pole to pole (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 large garlic cloves grated
- 2 pounds small (baby or fingerling) red or Yukon Gold potatoes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 to 3 anchovy filets, packed in oil finely chopped (or 2 teaspoons anchovy paste)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup celery or fennel finely chopped
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives, parsley or a mix
Instructions
Tame the onions and garlic:
- Add the onions, vinegar and sugar to a small bowl and toss to combine. To another small bowl, add the lemon juice and the grated garlic. Set both aside for at least 15 minutes. Toss the onions every often in the vinegar. Onions can be made up to a day ahead and stored with the vinegar.
Cook the potatoes and eggs:
- If the potatoes vary in size, cut the large ones in half. Place potatoes in a large pot and add cold water to cover by about an inch. Add 1 tablespoon salt, bring to a boil over high heat then lower heat to a medium boil. Gently add the eggs and cook for 9 minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and immediately place them in an ice bath. When eggs are cool, peel and set aside.
- Continue to cook potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork, about 2 to 7 minutes longer (10 to 15 minutes total, depending on size). You want them fully tender but not falling apart. Drain and set potatoes aside until dry and just cool enough to handle. While still warm, cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces (half or quarters) and add them to a large bowl. Sprinkle over the pickled onions with the vinegar and toss lightly.
Make the dressing:
- Add the chopped anchovies to a small bowl or glass jar and mash with the back of a spoon until it forms a paste. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire, the lemon/garlic mixture, a good pinch of kosher salt and about 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and stir until smooth. Set aside. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. It should be a bit saltier and more tart than for a salad dressing.
Assemble:
- Chop the eggs into roughly 1-inch chunks and add them to the bowl. Add the fennel or celery. Add 3/4 of the dressing and toss gently but thoroughly, If salad looks dry, add the rest of the dressing. Add the Parmesan and herbs and toss to combine. Season with more salt, pepper and vinegar, to taste, and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to 2 days before serving.