Red White and Blue Cheese Potato Salad is the Ultimate BBQ Side Dish

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This Independence Day, add some patriotic flair to your BBQ with this Red White and Blue Cheese Potato Salad!  It is the perfect side dish for your summer barbecue!

 

Summer is here!  It’s time for picnics, grilling, and being out of the kitchen! It’s about traveling and camping and schlepping a cooler full of delicious food to be eaten in the great outdoors. Most importantly, it’s about unplugging! Talking, laughing, and spending time together. BEING with each other while enjoying simple and tasty meals.

 

To do this, you must plan. And you must prepare dishes like summer salads that travel well and can be easily made ahead of time. Like these make ahead buns perfect for sandwiches. Or at least the ingredients can be prepared ahead of time and the final dish can be assembled before serving.

 

 

They should be simple with amazing flavor. I can’t stress the simple enough. Sometimes amazing flavor doesn’t mean 80 different ingredients. Sometimes, it’s a simple vinaigrette, some vegetables, and a little bit of cheese. Just like this Red White and Blue Cheese Potato Salad.

 

What Is Traditional Potato Salad?

 

Traditional potato salad is a made with boiled potatoes, often combined with mayonnaise, mustard, onions, pickles, and hard-boiled eggs. This creamy dish is typically served cold and has an undeniable appeal due to its simplicity and ability to pair with a variety of dishes.  Its roots can be traced back to European cuisines, where the combination of potatoes and mayonnaise became a foundation for creating crowd-pleasing salads.

 

 

There are two schools of thought with potato salad.  One is savory and one is sweet.  I think it’s Amish style potato salad that is sweeter and tangier with sweet pickles or sweet pickle relish in there.  I lean more towards the savory style potato salad.  Ours always had green olives and celery seed in there.  When I crave potato salad, that’s what I want.  The hubs likes the sweet stuff.

 

What Is a No Mayo Potato Salad?

 

No mayo potato salad offers a lighter alternative to its traditional counterpart. Instead of mayonnaise, it uses vinaigrettes and olive oil paired with herbs. This variation caters to those seeking something lighter in flavor. Not only does it often result in a fresher, tangier flavor, but it can also adapt well to a range of ingredients like German potato salad.  Or you can make German cauliflower salad.

 

 

What Is Blue Cheese?

 

Blue cheese is a type of cheese characterized by blue-green veins of mold.  Not like the stinky kind you find in that container of yogurt in the back of the fridge, but cultured mold.  The mold develops during the fermentation process. It is known for its bold and tangy flavor and pairs beautifully with nuts and fruits that complements its flavor. Originally from France and Italy, blue cheese adds a distinct depth to recipes, balancing creamy textures with its sharp taste.

 

How Do Potatoes Get Their Red or Blue Flesh Color?

 

The vibrant hues of red and blue potatoes come from anthocyanins which are natural pigments that also act as antioxidants. Anthocyanins are responsible for the deep purples and blues seen in many fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries and red cabbage. Red potatoes, while generally lighter in color, possess these pigments in their skins, contributing to their reddish hue. Blue potatoes, on the other hand, have these pigments embedded in their flesh, creating a striking and fun color when cooked.

 

 

Ingredients you’ll need for this potato salad recipe

 

Pantry ingredients – red potatoes, white potatoes, vinegar, honey, garlic powder, dried tarragon, salt, black pepper

Refrigerator ingredients – whole grain mustard, Greek yogurt, blue cheese

 

Cooking the Potatoes for the Blue Cheese Potato Salad

 

Russet or baking potatoes are not great for potato salad.  The flesh starts to break down when it’s cook which is why they’re great for baked potatoes.  It doesn’t hold up well to being tossed with dressing and ingredients.  New potatoes, red potatoes, and white potatoes are best because the flesh can hold up to being stirred into a potato salad. 

 

 

First, begin by thoroughly washing the potatoes to remove dirt. Next, cut them into uniform cubes to ensure even cooking. Always start your potatoes in cold water.  If you use hot water the outside cooks faster than the inside which doesn’t make for a tasty potato salad. 

 

While the potatoes are cooking, combine everything but the blue cheese in a mason jar with a lid.  Shake well to combine and refrigerate.  When the potatoes are fork tender, drain them and rinse them with cold water.  Let them come to room temperature before putting them in the fridge to chill complete.  Toss the potatoes with the dressing and the blue cheese and chill the potato salad for at least an hour before serving.  You can garnish with more blue cheese, finely chopped chives or dill for added color and flavor.

 

 

What does this red white and blue cheese potato salad taste like?

 

The perfect simplicity of how this salad is prepared means you don’t even need to be in the kitchen very long at all. Put the pot with potatoes on to boil and step away. Come back about 10 maybe 15 minutes later and check them. Maybe they’re cooked. Maybe they need a few more minutes. Either way, you don’t have to watch potatoes boil.

 

And the dressing? I have this thing with re-purposing jars. So, I have a salsa bottle that I saved that’s PERFECT for homemade dressing. I pulled out that jar, poured all the ingredients in it, shook it all up, and threw it in the refrigerator. Well, I didn’t really THROW it in there, but you get the idea. It took longer to gather the ingredients than it did to make the dressing.

 

 

The potatoes are creamy and tender.  The flesh of new potatoes is creamy to me when you bite into them.  That’s all I can say to explain that.  The dressing is packed with flavor from the Dijon and tarragon.  It’s a very Niçoise style with its combination of flavors.  Then there’s the bold flavor of the blue cheese that is totally unexpected in a potato salad.  It brings a bold sharpness that rounds out this potato salad recipe.

 

Then there’s the simplicity that makes this recipe a star at every backyard gathering.  It takes very little effort but packs a flavorful punch.  And it’s even better when made ahead of time.  The longer it sits the more flavorful the potatoes get as they absorb the dressing.

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