Creamy Potato and Ham Salad

An easy recipe for creamy potato and ham salad. This make-ahead side dish is always a crowd’s favorite. Perfect for large gatherings and celebrations!

There are so many versions of potato salad out there, don’t you think so? This potato and ham salad is one of 4 potato salad recipes I have now on my blog.

The other three are Spanish potato salad, dill pickle potato salad and potato salad with apples. They all are easy to make and tasty so I hope you will find your favorite one among them!

I also have sweet potato salad which is perfect for summer barbecues.

How to make the best potato and ham salad

The easiest way to make it is to divide the prep into several stages:

Stage 1:

Cooking the eggs, carrots and potatoes.

Stage 2:

Cutting the veggies, hard boiled eggs and ham into bite-size pieces. When it comes to onion and dill pickles (gherkins) I highly recommend chopping them as finely as possible.

Stage 3:

Combine everything in a mixing bowl that is large enough to hold all the ingredients. The larger the bowl the better. It will make your mixing easier.

Stage 4:

This is basically a part of stage 3. You stir in the mayonnaise that you have mixed with sour cream. Season with salt and black pepper.

Now all you have to do is cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and chill it well in the fridge before serving.

What potatoes are best for making potato salad?

Waxy potatoes are an excellent choice because they hold their shape well after cooking. The most common varieties are: red, new or fingerling potatoes.

If you would like to read more about potato varieties, I recommend this post: Types of potatoes.

Tips for making potato and ham salad

• Different types of potatoes might take different times to cook so keep an eye on them. You don’t want to overcook them. Also the larger the potato the longer the cooking time! I used new potatoes that needed 20 minutes.
• If you don’t have medium eggs, don’t worry. The size does not really matter here.
• Onion and gherkins/dill pickles are both important ingredients. They add some crunchiness and flavor to this potato and ham salad. I don’t recommend leaving them out.
• If you are not an onion fan, just chop it as finely as possible. That way, if you stir it around with the rest of the ingredients, the onion blends into the salad and you will hardly taste it.
• This potato and ham salad needs to be chilled in the fridge before serving. Now the longer you chill it the tastier the salad. For that reason keeping it in the fridge overnight is the best option.
• Also, bear in mind that by sitting in the fridge the flavors will develop and the salad turns saltier than before. That is why I suggest adding a little bit less salt than you would normally and check right before serving if more is needed.

Ingredient substitutions:

• Waxy potatoes – If you don’t have these on hand, you can use other types. However, your salad will more likely look mushier. If you don’t mind this then go ahead and use what you have on hand.
• Canned peas can be completely omitted if you don’t have it on hand or don’t like it.
• Sour cream – Use crème fraiche or Greek yogurt instead.
• Ham – I used a turkey ham but you can use any ham you like.

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