Summer means potato salad and if you're looking for a version that's quick, delicious, and easy to make, grab your Instant Pot and get ready to find yourself falling in love with a salad you'll be making again and again. All the cooking happens in the Instant Pot with a 4 minute cook time and the dressing can be assembled in a minute or two.
I do not peel my red potatoes because I think they hold together better with the skins on and I actually really enjoy the flavor they add to the mix. Making the boiled eggs in the Instant Pot saves a lot of time, but make sure you get them into an ice water bath right away to help stop the cooking process and make peeling them easier. I like onion and celery in my potato salad. If you do not, feel free to skip them.
As with all mayonnaise based potato salads, this one wants to be stored in the refrigerator and any leftovers returned to the refrigerator as soon as you are done serving it. It plays well with all of your summer favorites - from hot dogs and burgers to steaks to pulled pork sandwiches. Enjoy this simple, quick salad that will have you reaching for your pesto again and again.
Instant Pot Pesto Potato Salad
- 6-8 medium red potatoes, cubed
- 1 ½ cups water
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- ¼ cup chopped celery
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons pesto -- choose your favorite variety or make your own
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- Salt and pepper to taste
Put the steamer basket in the bottom of the pressure cooker pot. Add the water, potatoes, and eggs - place the eggs on the very top of the cubed potatoes. Lock the lid in place, select High Pressure, 4 minutes of cook time, and press start.
When the timer beeps, turn off the pressure cooker and do a quick pressure release. When the pressure is released, carefully remove the lid. Remove the eggs into an ice cold water bath to cool. Carefully remove the steamer basket and place the hot potatoes into a large bowl and cool in the refrigerator while you make the dressing.
In a small bowl, combine the onion, celery, mayonnaise, pesto, and chives. Add the dressing to the cooled potatoes and gently mix mix it into the potatoes. Peel and dice the cooled eggs and stir into potato salad. Add salt and pepper to taste. If needed, add more mayonnaise to achieve the desired consistency.
Chill for at least one hour before serving to fully cool and marry the flavors. Promptly refrigerate any leftovers.
- Yields: 6-8 servings
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes plus chilling time