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How to Doctor Up Store-Bought Potato Salad

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Donna Urso
Here's a potato salad time-saver for you just in time for summer cookouts. You'll love how you can transform grocery store potato salad so easily no matter whether you are hosting a BBQ or bringing a side dish for a summer barbecue.

There's no judgment here.

We don't always have the time to make a potato salad from scratch. Sometimes it is just easier to stop by your local grocery store to pick up a container of store-made potato salad.

It's good.

It's predictable.  It will do.  All it needs is a little doctoring.

How to Make Store-Bought Potato Salad Better

Amazing Semi-Homemade Potato Salad

Jazz Up Your Store-Bought Potato Salad
When you need a quick potato salad, and have no time to make one from scratch, that ordinary store-bought potato salad you have in your refrigerator can go from blah to amazing in just a few minutes with just a few ingredients. Yes, you can improve store-bought potato salad.

How to Doctor Up Potato Salad to have a little more flavor?
You're going to a potluck picnic or you are having people over for an impromptu barbecue and you'd like your potato salad to be a little special.

There is no need to fret.  A quick trip to the grocery store will get you started. Just buy a few additional ingredients that will kick up the potato salad's flavor.


Jazz Up Store-Bought Potato Salad
The first step in your journey from blah to amazing is to taste the store potato salad. You need to know what flavors you are starting with.  The best store-bought potato salad is the one you like best.  I like to do a little advanced legwork by finding the local store with the best potato salad at the beginning of the season.

What to Add to Store-Bought Potato Salad?

When buying from the deli counter ask for a taste before you buy.  How does it taste?  Does it need a little more salt and fresh ground pepper? 

You will want to add more flavor and color to the potato salad. Consider a little celery seed or some fresh dill. Start with 1/2 teaspoon of celery seed or 1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh dill. Both add wonderful flavor to a potato salad.

Next, you'll want some add-in ingredients.  
You'll want to add a little color, some crunch, and a little seasoning.  I personally love some red onion and celery.  Both will add nice color and texture to the potato salad. 

The video below shows you how I jazz-up my potato salad.

See Me Doctor My Potato Salad in this Video


Here is my standard recipe for doctoring up a store-bought potato salad.

Donna's Quick Potato Salad

Add celery, chives and red onion to potato salad

You've made it your own in a semi-homemade kind of way.  Your family and friends will love it.


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Enjoy!

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 7, 2020 at 2:06 AM

    I love this idea! I bought potato salad from the grocery for our Labor Day family dinner, and it's too sweet and has too much mayo. Your tips were very welcome, as I was considering adding celery, additional onion, and needed validation! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jade1950February 25, 2022 at 6:21 PM

    Add salt if too much sweet

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 7, 2022 at 5:46 PM

    I like adding extra hard boiled eggs, diced dill pickles, and a little bit of Italian dressing for a zippy potato salad! Some crumbled bacon over it puts it over the top. No one will ever know it's store-bought!

    ReplyDelete

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