Potato salad is dressed while the potatoes are hot because hot potatoes absorb salt, lemon juice, or vinegar; as potatoes cool, their surface closes and the dressing stays outside. In a salad dressed while hot, every bite is seasoned from within; in one dressed after cooling, the inside of the potato stays bland while the outside is coated with dressing, leading you to add more salt. Add herbs and onion after the potatoes have cooled to warm.
The difference comes from the potato’s starch. As potatoes boil, the starch absorbs water and swells, the cells loosen, and the potato behaves like a sponge; while hot, it absorbs liquid poured over it. As the potato cools, the starch tightens again and the surface closes. After that, the dressing does not get inside the potato and stays on the outside. Of two salads made with the same amount of salt and lemon, the one dressed while hot tastes noticeably more balanced because the salt and acid have spread through the potato.
Seasoning starts in the cooking water. Put the potatoes on the stove in cold, salted water, adding 7–10 grams of salt per liter; starting them in cold water cooks them evenly to the center without breaking down the outside. Salted water seasons the potatoes from within and makes it easier to adjust the salad’s salt later. Check doneness with the tip of a knife: take them off the heat when the knife goes in without resistance but the potatoes do not fall apart. Choose waxy, low-starch potatoes for salad; floury potatoes break apart when mixed with dressing and turn the salad into a mash.
After draining, let the potatoes steam in the colander for a few minutes. If you pour on the dressing before the excess water on the surface evaporates, the dressing gets diluted and the potatoes cannot absorb it. Peel and chop the potatoes once the steam has stopped but while they are still hot, then immediately toss them with lemon juice or vinegar, salt, and olive oil. Toss gently; hot potatoes are fragile, and their edges break apart if stirred vigorously. Leave the dressing on the potatoes for a few minutes; during that time, most of the liquid moves into the potatoes.
Not every ingredient goes into hot potatoes. Parsley, dill, and scallions wilt in the heat and lose their color, so add them after the potatoes have cooled to warm. If adding a dry onion to the salad, first chop it finely, rub it with salt, and rinse it to reduce its sharpness. If making a mayonnaise-based salad, add the mayonnaise only after the potatoes have cooled completely; in the heat, mayonnaise releases its oil and the salad looks greasy. Red pepper flakes and sumac, however, can be added to hot potatoes because the heat brings out their color and aroma.
Do not leave the prepared salad on the plate for a long time. Refrigerate the cooked potatoes and dressing within two hours at room temperature, or within one hour if it is above 32°C / 90°F. Salad held in the refrigerator tastes less salty and sour when cold, so let it sit out for fifteen to twenty minutes before serving and refresh it with a few drops of lemon if needed. If serving the salad the next day, add the herbs at serving time; parsley and dill left in the salad darken and spoil its appearance.
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