The Crispy Twist Your Potato Salad Needs

Potato salad is one of the all-American summer cookout classics that can be just as delicious at home as a lunch or dinner side at any time of year. The iconic accompaniment's boiled potatoes soak up lots of flavor from the creamy dressing and have a soft, tender bite, which together create its winning appeal. But as time-honored as the dish is, you can give it a creative, crispy twist with an ingredient that takes it in an unexpected direction: tater tots.

Swapping in the fried, shredded potato nuggets that are unbelievably versatile for the boiled spuds introduces their browned taste and a texture contrast with the creaminess. Both are amped up by baking the frozen tots for about 15 minutes and then smashing them flat and putting them back in the oven for another 20 minutes until they're a deep golden brown. You could also cook them in the air fryer for restaurant-level crunch. Not only does smashing make them even crispier, but the compression also exposes more of the interior to absorb flavor. There's also a time-saving bonus to this tasty replacement since you don't have to do any peeling, slicing, or boiling.

Let the flattened tater tots cool for a bit so you're not mixing them with the traditionally mayonnaise-based dressing while they're still hot. Once any other ingredients are also added and the salad is ready, it's best to eat it soon after, since the crunchy discs get soggy if they sit too long.

The basic formula for potato salad is spuds plus dressing and mix-ins, but everyone has their own tried-and-true recipe. You can use the same familiar one when you sub in tater tots, but since you're already shaking things up, it can be a good opportunity to tweak it and try something different.

Sour cream or Greek yogurt can be used as a mayo alternative — or be combined with it. Think of something you might dip a tot in and add it to your chosen base, like ketchup, ranch, honey mustard, or hot sauce. A tangy choice like pickles, pepperoncini, Spanish olives, or lemon, the secret ingredient that brings punch to potato salad, could balance the spuds' fried flavor. Foods with crunch, like celery, are usually added to the traditional dish to give it texture, so conversely, something softer could offset the crispy discs, like tomatoes, roasted peppers, or scallions instead of onions.

You could make this swap for German potato salad as well, instead of sticking to the classic version. Its warm bacon dressing made with the porky drippings, onion, a bit of sugar for sweetness, and the tang of apple cider or white vinegar would pair fantastically with the browned tots.

Finally, you could do something even more imaginative and make deconstructed versions. Use the dressing as a dip and dunk in the tot "dippers," or put spoonfuls of it on the flattened nuggets and serve it that way.