Red, white and blue potato salad

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Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad is the best patriotic holiday potato salad ever! Imagine the best side dish for your summer barbecue… This. Is. It.

Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad so easy to be festive!

I was at my local grocery store last week looking for products for dinner. I passed a display of red, white, and blue (actually purple) potatoes in 1.5 pound bags.

They were tiny little jewels, all about the size of an egg, some as small as an egg yolk. These little potatoes are the perfect size to showcase red, white, and blue in a salad bowl! Then the wheels started turning. How could I turn my newfound gems into a side dish fit for a celebration?

Serve the salad…

I wanted to create a dressing that complimented the potatoes but didn’t completely cover them (still wanted to show off the beautiful colors!). I put a sweet Walla Walla onion in my shopping cart and also a bunch of fresh parsley. I knew a bit of fresh onion would make a flavorful dressing without overwhelming our red, white, and blue potato salad.

Instead of a classic mayo-based dressing, I opted for some olive oil, spices, and fresh onions. The dressing is spectacular! It’s creamy (from the mixing) without being too heavy, and is so good you might want to make a double batch for green salads too!

cooking the potatoes

When I first started experimenting with this salad, I wondered what the best method of cooking the potatoes would be. Since they are tiny, remember, some the size of an egg yolk, I didn’t want to ruin the dish by overcooking!

I tried three different methods of cooking the potatoes. First, I placed a few on a plate and added about 2-3 tablespoons of water to the plate and covered with a plastic microwave cooking tray. This is a good method, but I think more pain than necessary. You can only cook a limited number of potatoes at a time, and this method requires several different plates in a row.

The second method was to boil water over the stove for about 10 minutes until a fork could be easily inserted into the potato. This method worked well, but the potatoes weren’t as brilliantly colored as I had hoped. The final method was to pressure cook the red, white, and blue potatoes in the Instant Pot. The Instant Pot really is the best way to cook potatoes for any type of potato salad! It cooks them quickly, preserves color (and nutrients), and is the least messy method.

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can cook or bake on the stovetop (375 for 20 minutes or until done). You’re simply looking for a potato that can be easily pierced with a fork or knife after cooking. I layered the potatoes in the IP with the blue on the bottom, the red in the middle, and the white on top in case the colors bleed. I haven’t had any issues with the blue potatoes bleeding too much, so don’t worry as far as that goes!

Easy and festive for a summer BBQ!

Potato salad has to be one of the easiest side dishes to add to the BBQ! It serves so many purposes. First, most people love potato salad! It’s mild enough for the young, mature enough for the older generation, and a great dish to fill hungry diners. This Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad recipe is also an easy meal to make ahead! Boil the potatoes the day before serving and drizzle with a little olive oil to keep them from drying out.

Prepare the dressing, cover and place in the fridge in the same jar the dressing was made in. About an hour before serving, take the potatoes and dressing out of the fridge, drizzle over the dressing, sprinkle with some freshly chopped parsley (you can also dry it) and serve. If you want to serve extra dressing on the side, make a double serving. I also love this salad warm or at room temperature. Boil the potatoes about 30 minutes before dinner if you want to serve them warm. I hope you love this fun and festive red, white, and blue potato salad this summer!

Red, white and blue potato salad

Red, white and blue potato salad is the most festive side dish for July 4th! Easy to put together and a dish everyone will love.

ingredients

  • 1
    everyone
    1 lb 8 oz package red, white, and purple petite potatoes (4.5 lbs total)
  • 1
    Cup
    water
  • extra olive oil for drizzling potatoes

Sweet Onion Dressing

  • 1/2
    Cup
    chopped sweet onion, like Vidalia or Walla Walla
  • 1
    tablespoon
    granulated sugar or honey
  • 1
    tablespoon
    white or apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2
    teaspoon
    yellow or Dijon mustard (optional)
  • 1/2
    Cup
    olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

instructions

  1. Clean potatoes by rinsing and scrubbing with water in the sink.

  2. Stovetop Method: Place the potatoes in a large pan on the stovetop and fill the pan with water just above the potatoes. Cover and bring to a boil for about 6-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain and rinse with cold water.

  3. Instant Pot Method: Place the potatoes on a rack in the Instant Pot, blue on the bottom, red on the top, then white on the top. Pour a cup of water into the Instant Pot and set the timer to MANUAL or HIGH PRESSURE for 4 minutes. Close the lid, making sure the o-ring is in place inside the lid and secure in the SEAL position. Cook until timer goes off, then let sit for 5 minutes before gently releasing the pressure.

  4. When the potatoes are done, let them sit for a few minutes so they cool and are easy to handle. Halve while still warm and transfer to a serving platter or large bowl. Sprinkle generously with sea salt or kosher salt. Cut the white potatoes first, then the red ones, and finally the purple ones. The purple potatoes will release a little color onto the paring knife.

  5. Drizzle the potatoes generously with olive oil. If using immediately or within an hour, drizzle with Sweet Onion Dressing and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley. If using later in the day or the next day, cover and refrigerate the potatoes on the plate.

Sweet Onion Dressing

  1. Combine the chopped sweet onions, sugar or honey, vinegar, mustard (if using), and olive oil in a jar or blender. Blend with an immersion blender until ingredients are incorporated and smooth. Or, place all the ingredients in a blender until the onions are chopped up, then blend on low until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Store in the fridge. Allow to come to room temperature before use.

recipe notes

  • This recipe is easy to adapt to a smaller crowd. You can use just red and purple potatoes, or half the ingredients and use just 1/2 of each 1.5 pound bag. The leftover boiled potatoes (without the dressing) make a perfect hash for breakfast too!
  • You can place the potatoes on the stove in 2 separate pans to ensure the colors of the purple potatoes don’t mix in the water. I tried this and noticed a small amount of darker water from the purple potatoes.
  • I found the potatoes for this recipe at Smith’s (Kroeger) grocery store.

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