Turn To The Freezer For A Quicker, Crunchier Twist On Classic Potato Salad

No matter how you slice, dice, mash, or fry them up, we all love a comforting side of potatoes. But perhaps nothing is as ubiquitous and all-American as a good scoop of classic potato salad. A must-have for picnics, cookouts, and backyard BBQs since forever, you might think you know all there is to know when it comes to prepping the perfect side. You likely have a tried and true recipe, and hold onto those go-to methods for when you have the time to prep. But for those days when you don't have time to wash, peel, cube, and cook your taters — and who always does — consider the shortcut of using frozen bagged hash browns. It's an easy workaround to perhaps potato salad's only real drawback, which is the time and forethought it requires. 

Simply grab that bag of hash browns from the freezer. After a quick blanching of the frozen spuds, they're ready for all the usual add-ins like mayo, relish, celery, and spices. The rest of the steps remain the same, and like any potato salad, you can endlessly adapt the recipe. The only difference? The most time-consuming component of the prep just got way quicker.

Potato salad is a classic, but don't let that stop you from getting out of your comfort zone and innovating a bit — the way it's always been done isn't necessarily the best. And it's rarely the quickest. For this shortcut method, you could even use the shredded, diner-style bag of frozen hash browns, but if you're after the classic mouthfeel and texture, opt for the cubed, homefries style. These are easily found in any grocery store freezer section. 

To prep your potatoes, simply bring a pot of water to boil and cook the potatoes for around 3-4 minutes, until cooked but still firm. This is key for replicating the tender but never-mushy texture that you want in a good potato salad. For an even easier method, you could even microwave the frozen potatoes. For a crisp crunchier take, cook them on the hob in a skillet with a little oil before using as your salad ingredient.

Where you go from there is up to you — treat your blank slate of cooked potatoes as you would when making any potato salad recipe. Stay classic with mayo, vinegar, and pickle relish add-ins, go fresh and herb-forward with a French-style potato salad version, or even make it vegan with a mayo-free iteration. When it comes to anything potato, it's hard to go wrong.