Steakhouse Style Ranch Potato Salad Recipe

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My Steakhouse Style Ranch Potato Salad recipe is the perfect complement to main dish grillables and barbecued foods!

All images and text ©Jenny DeRemer for Not Entirely Average, LLC

Steakhouse Style Ranch Potato Salad Recipe

This savory steakhouse potato salad recipe is the one you grab when you need it FAST! It’s become the favorite potato salad of all my friends, and I am asked to make it just about every time we have a gathering.

Warm potatoes are tossed together in a large bowl with all of the supporting ingredients, then chilled until ready to serve. I like to reserve half a hardboiled egg to slice and fan across the top as garnish but offer plenty of optional extras alongside in case folks want theirs ‘loaded.’

The best potato salad begins with the best potatoes for the job, in this case russets. Here I have cooked potatoes until fork tender and then dressed with my favorite creamy ranch dressing of choice.

A tablespoon of both Dijon mustard as well as sour cream help to bridge the zest of the ranch with all of the less discernable supporting ingredients. The recipe makes enough to serve eight people as the perfect side to the perfect steak!

Do You Have What’s Needed to Assemble My Steakhouse Style Ranch Potato Salad Recipe? Check the List!

• russet potatoes
• celery with leaves
• green onions
• fresh parsley
• Kosher salt
• black pepper
• Dijon mustard
• sour cream
• creamy ranch salad dressing
• hard boiled eggs

optional

• extra sharp cheddar cheese
• paprika
• bacon bits
• freshly snipped chives

How This Recipe Came About…

Freshness of ingredients is paramount when there are so few ingredients in a recipe to begin with. Today’s delicious recipe side dish that I’m sharing comes together FAST and with the freshest ingredients you can get your hands on!

I like to assemble my own homemade buttermilk creamy ranch dressing for this tasty recipe. Making the dressing from scratch makes it a real winner in my book, but really you can use bottled dressing, too if it suits you better.

I kind of tripped over this method after a large party I attended some years back. The hostess did not have nearly as many people attend as she’d invited, so we all ended up being offered bags full of food to take home.

I ventured back to my pad with a bag filled with goodies including a baked potato – actually try seven – still hot and still wrapped in foil! Knowing I’d never eat them on my own, I decided to play with building a potato salad to eat that week with my dinners.

Little did I know that the salad dressing I’d be experimenting with would prove so popular with me and my family! From those picnic leftovers, a true star was born!

Should I Boil Potatoes or Bake Potatoes for This Steakhouse Potato Salad Recipe?

The beauty here is that you may do either. Personally, I boil because the amount of time is cut down significantly, especially if the russets are large.

And because I know I will be asked; I use russets because they are a stand-up potato. You could also use small red potatoes but do stay away from Yukons or anything waxy.

I am sure to peel my potatoes, too. If using anything other than russets, the choice to peel is entirely yours.

Should I Use Bottled Ranch Dressing or Make My Own Ranch for This Steakhouse Potato Salad Recipe?

Again, the beauty here is that you may do either. Personally, I chose to assemble my own using buttermilk and mayonnaise according to the instructions on the back of my favorite dry ranch packet.

I simply cut and boil the potatoes in a large pot, drain them, then place potatoes in a bowl and cover them with the dressing and supporting ingredients. I use a rubber spatula to mix everything before refrigerating.

How To Make This Steakhouse Potato Salad Recipe?

Because this is one of those on-the-spot salads, the method is designed to allow you to do everything in just about 45 minutes (chilling time not factored in), you needn’t worry about prepping anything ahead of time. The exception to this is the hard-boiled eggs which I like to prep at least an hour and up to 24 hours in advance.

For the Hard-Boiled Eggs

Hard cook the eggs in a separate pot according to this method (scroll to How Do You Hard Boil Eggs?) at the same time you are boiling the potatoes. The eggs will cook faster than the potatoes.

Peel and refrigerate while you complete the potato salad according to the recipe card. The eggs are the last ingredient to be incorporated, so will have plenty of time to chill before the salad is completed.

For the Potatoes

Add a teaspoon of Kosher salt to a large pot. Fill the pot with cold water and set next to your workstation.

Peel and rinse the potatoes under cool water. Set them atop your cutting board and rough chop into 3/4-inch pieces and add to the salted water. Make sure there is enough water covering the potatoes and top off as needed.

Set the pot on a large burner over high heat and bring the potatoes to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and boil the potatoes until they are fork-tender, and the edges have begun to break down.

Drain and return to the pot. Allow the potatoes about 15 minutes to cool slightly and come closer to room temperature.

Texturing the Potatoes

This is absolutely a matter of preference. I like to use my handheld potato masher and mash down three times.

One, two, three and I tap off whatever is stuck to the masher. Looking into the pot, THIS is my mixed texture – some lumps and some slightly mashed down.

I don’t want them mashed, rather just a wee bit squished. The remainder are lumps and to me, this is perfection!

To you, texture may or may not matter, but texture and mouthfeel (yes, it’s called mouthfeel!) are important to each of our desires to taste something. For me, half mashed equals comfort. It’s a mind thing…

Assembling the Salad

While the potatoes are still partially warm, add in chopped celery with plenty of the leaves also chopped, green onions, chopped FRESH parsley, Kosher salt and black pepper, some Dijon mustard, sour cream, and finally ranch dressing.

Remember the ranch may be bottled or homemade. I go homemade and use buttermilk for that tangy flavor only buttermilk yields.

Before I chop both eggs, I pop out the hard-cooked egg yolks from one egg and stir that into the potato mixture also. It may not seem like a big thing, but it does add a lovely yellow color and I find I want to see that in my potato salads. No artificial color!

Garnishing the Salad

At this point, the potato salad is complete, all but for chilling it. I don’t know about any of you, but I have no problem diving in with my fork while it’s still sort of warm.

Load it into the bowl from which you will serve and sprinkle the remaining hard-cooked egg whites and yolks that you’ve chopped. If you’re not worried about blowing a low-calorie diet, by all means consider garnishing the salad further.

Freshly shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, cooked slices bacon finely chopped, freshly snipped chives…it all works! Paprika adds a lovely and tempting red hue, so I almost always try to sprinkle a touch.

Modifying the Norm to Make It Not Entirely Average…

What makes this potato salad unique is the fact that you’re incorporating ranch salad dressing. The sour cream helps to cut ‘that straight-up ranch flavor’ and I feel like it’s necessary.

If you taste and feel like you need that ‘sweeter salad’ consider swapping the sour cream out with something like Miracle Whip Light Dressing. To mix dressings like this is not for me personally, but I have this prepared steakhouse potato salad recipe this way many times to great acclaim.

Another easy ‘fix’ is to simply add a tablespoon or two of a sweet relish. So, despite methods of preparation varying, it is possible to build a fabulous steakhouse potato salad recipe to call your own with some modifications here and there.

Can Steakhouse Potato Salad Be Made Ahead?

YES! Parts or all of it may be made in advance up to two days prior to serving. A pro-tip: hard-boil, peel, and refrigerate your eggs in advance to save time.

You may also boil the potatoes ahead but DO assemble the entire salad while the potatoes are warm. Chilling the potatoes to then combine with the dressing and supporting ingredients does not allow the potatoes the opportunity to absorb the flavors resulting in a somewhat wimpy salad.