Sarra Ina Garten’s dill potato salad is small red potatoes boiled skin-on, steamed until perfectly firm, and tossed warm in a creamy dressing of mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, and a full half cup of chopped fresh dill, with celery and red onion mixed in for crunch. It serves 6 to 8 and takes about 30 minutes of hands-on work plus a few hours of chill time.
This recipe appears in Ina’s Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook (2006) under the name “Old-Fashioned Potato Salad.” In the headnote, she writes that during “the eighteen years that I owned Barefoot Contessa, we must have made millions of pounds of this classic potato salad.” It was a specialty food store staple, and the recipe stays simple because Ina does not peel the potatoes, which saves time and gives each piece a thin skin that holds the dressing.
The technique that separates this from every other potato salad is steaming the potatoes after boiling them. Once drained, Ina sets the colander back over the empty pot, covers it with a clean kitchen towel, and lets the potatoes sit for 15 to 20 minutes. That steam drives off the excess surface moisture so the potatoes stay firm and absorb the dressing instead of turning waterlogged. Skip this step and the dressing slides right off, pooling in the bottom of the bowl.
Ina Garten Dill Potato Salad Recipe
Course: Salads4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalThe potato salad Ina sold for eighteen years at her Barefoot Contessa store. Small red potatoes cooked skin-on, steamed until perfectly firm, and dressed warm in a tangy buttermilk and double-mustard dressing loaded with half a cup of fresh dill.
Ingredients
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3 pounds (1.4kg) small red potatoes
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Kosher salt
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1 cup (240ml) good mayonnaise
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1/4 cup (60ml) buttermilk (or milk or white wine)
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2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
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2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
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1/2 cup (25g) chopped fresh dill
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Freshly ground black pepper
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1/2 cup (60g) medium-diced celery
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1/2 cup (75g) small-diced red on
Directions
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Boil the potatoes: Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until barely tender when pierced with a knife. Do not overcook.
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Steam the potatoes: Drain the potatoes in a colander, then set the colander back over the empty pot off the heat. Cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel and let the potatoes steam for 15 to 20 minutes until tender but firm.
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Make the dressing: Meanwhile, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, dill, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
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Dress while warm: When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into quarters or halves depending on size. Place in a large bowl and pour enough dressing over them to moisten generously.
- Add the crunch and chill: Stir in the celery and red onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let the flavors blend. Taste for seasoning and add more dressing if needed before serving.
Notes
- Do not peel the potatoes. The thin red skin holds each piece together and gives the dressing something to cling to. Peeled potatoes break apart and turn the salad to mush.
Ina says “allowing the potatoes to steam after you boil them results in evenly tender, but still firm, potatoes.” The towel absorbs steam and keeps the potatoes from sitting in their own moisture.
Use fresh dill, not dried. Half a cup of dried dill would be far too concentrated and bitter. Fresh dill gives the salad its signature bright, grassy flavor.
FAQs
Why does Ina steam the potatoes after boiling them?
Most potato salad recipes say to drain the potatoes and dress them immediately. Ina adds one extra step: she drains them into a colander, sets it back over the empty pot, and covers everything with a dry kitchen towel for 15 to 20 minutes. That resting time dries the surface so the potatoes absorb dressing instead of repelling it.
Ina says this produces “evenly tender, but still firm, potatoes.” Without the steam step, the outsides are waterlogged from boiling and the insides can still be slightly underdone. The towel traps just enough residual heat to finish cooking the centers while the surfaces dry out.
Why does Ina use two types of mustard?
The Dijon adds smooth, sharp heat that blends into the dressing as a background note. The whole-grain adds a second layer of texture and a slightly sweeter, more rustic flavor from the visible mustard seeds. Together they create more complexity than either one alone.
You taste the Dijon as a general sharpness, and you get little bursts of whole-grain when you bite into a seed. If you only have one on hand, use the Dijon, but the whole-grain is what makes this version feel different from every other mayo-based potato salad you have tried.
Can you make dill potato salad ahead of time?
Ina says to refrigerate the salad for “a few hours to allow the flavors to blend,” so this is designed to be made ahead. It keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days, and many home cooks find it tastes even better the next day once the dill and mustard fully soak into the potatoes.
You may need to add a splash of buttermilk or a spoonful of mayo before serving because the potatoes continue absorbing dressing as they sit. Taste for salt too, since cold food always needs a bit more seasoning than it did when it was warm.
What other potato salads does Ina make?
Ina has published four potato salads across her cookbooks. Her French Potato Salad from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (1999) uses a vinaigrette instead of mayo and includes white wine and chicken stock. Her Tarragon Potato Salad from How Easy Is That? (2010) blends tarragon with dill in a mayo base for a more herbaceous version. Her Provençal Potato Salad from the 1999 book builds on the French version with tuna, capers, olives, and hard-boiled eggs.
This dill version is the most popular because it is the most traditional. If you want a completely different Ina salad for your next cookout, her Cape Cod Salad Recipe goes in an autumn direction with bacon, cranberries, and Roquefort.
What should you serve dill potato salad with?
Ina designed this as a classic cookout side and it pairs naturally with anything off the grill: burgers, steaks, chicken, or seared salmon. The dill in the dressing works especially well alongside fish because the herb echoes the flavor pairing you find in Scandinavian cooking.
For a full barbecue spread, set this alongside Barefoot Contessa Onion Rings Recipe for a crunchy contrast to the creamy salad. Add corn on the cob and a simple green salad and you have a complete summer table without spending the whole day in the kitchen.
