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Korean Potato Salad

Korean potato salad (gamja salad) with a creamy sweet dressing, tender mashed potatoes, and crunchy vegetables. Serve cold after chilling for at least 2 hours for best texture and flavor.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Korean
Calories: 410
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

russet potatoes
  • 3 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
carrots
  • 2 carrots, diced small
cucumber
  • 1 cucumber, seeded and diced
corn kernels
  • 0.5 cup corn kernels
hard-boiled eggs
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
mayonnaise
  • 0.5 cup mayonnaise
sugar
  • 2 tbsp sugar
rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
salt and pepper
  • 1 Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Boil and prep the potatoes
  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the peeled, cubed russet potatoes. Boil until very tender, then drain.
  2. Mash the drained potatoes roughly while warm, stopping before they become completely smooth. Keep some chunks so the salad stays thick and hearty.
Blanch vegetables
  1. Add the diced carrots to boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain right away so they stay bright and crisp-tender.
Assemble and season
  1. In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes, blanched carrots, diced cucumber, corn kernels, and chopped hard-boiled eggs. Fold gently until evenly distributed.
  2. Stir together mayonnaise, sugar, rice vinegar, salt, and pepper until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  3. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold to coat thoroughly. Stop when the salad looks creamy with visible vegetables and egg.
Chill before serving
  1. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. The texture will firm up and the flavors will blend as it chills.

Notes

For the creamiest Korean potato salad, mash the potatoes while they’re still hot and keep them roughly textured, then chill the finished salad covered. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; the flavors improve after the first hour. Freezing isn’t recommended because the vegetables and mayo-based dressing can turn watery when thawed. If you want a lighter option, use light mayonnaise while keeping the same sugar and rice vinegar ratio.