Published: · Modified: by Petra Kupská
Jump to Recipe
The Czechs are champions at making potato salad. Believe me, the Czech one tastes the best of all! We call our potato salad “bramborový salát” in the Czech Republic, and you’ll find it most often on the table as a salad for Christmas Eve dinner served with fried carp or schnitzel.
Table of Contents hide
➜ What is Czech potato salad?
➜ Ingredients
➜ Instructions with photos
➜ Potato salad presentation
➜ Storage
➜ Cook’s tips
➜ One helpful trick
➜ Pronunciation
Czech Potato Salad – Bramborový salát
➜ What is Czech potato salad?
Czech classic potato salad is made of boiled potatoes, eggs, root vegetables, dill pickles, and mayonnaise. In addition to salt and pepper, pickle juice and yellow mustard are mixed into the salad.
Potato salad is traditionally served as a side dish with fried carp at Christmas Eve dinner. Not only at Christmas but also on other festive occasions, potato salad appears on the holiday menu.
If you have ever tasted the famous Czech open-faced sandwiches, then you know that potato salad can be spread on white bread and forms the basis of the “obložený chlebíček” sandwich.
➜ Ingredients
To make Czech potato salad, you will need:
- Potatoes; use all-purpose or waxy gold/yellow potatoes that hold together and don't fall apart when cooked. Cook potatoes with the skin on until done. It takes anything between 15-20 minutes; check them for doneness with a fork. If potatoes are still too hard, cook them for a little bit longer. Cook the potatoes preferably the day before to give them time to cool completely. The potatoes are only cut into the salad when thoroughly cold.
- Eggs; hard-boiled, peeled
- Dill pickles; in the US, see if you have a German or Polish deli nearby. There you have a chance to find pickles that taste similar to Czech ones (e.g., German gherkins are good). In addition to the pickles, we will want to season the salad with a bit of pickle juice. Also, check my recipe on how to make homemade Czech dill pickles!
- Onion; finely chopped
- Carrot; fresh carrot, peel and boil them briefly in boiling water, salted and seasoned with a tablespoon of vinegar. After cooking, immediately cool the carrots in cold water.
- Green peas; frozen. Let them thaw simply.
- Mayonnaise; plain, I used Hellmann's mayonnaise
- Ground black pepper and salt
- Yellow mustard; Czech, German or Polish style
✅You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
In the Czech Republic, there are many variations of potato salad. Practically every homemaker has their own recipe. The one I am presenting here is tested in our family, contains basic ingredients, and is simple.
➜ Instructions with photos
STEP 1: Boil the potatoes in their skins and let them cool down completely, ideally overnight. Once cooled, peel them.
STEP 2: Boil eggs for 8 minutes, let them cool, and peel them. Allow the frozen peas to thaw.
STEP 3: Clean the carrots and cut them into 1-2 equal-sized pieces. Cook them in boiling water with a bit of salt and vinegar for about 5 minutes, then cool them quickly with cold water. The vegetables will be soft but not mushy.
STEP 4: Cut the potatoes, eggs, pickles, and carrots into cubes about 1/3 inch (0.8 cm) in size. Peel and finely chop the onion.
STEP 5: Put everything in a large bowl. Add mayonnaise, pickle juice, and yellow mustard. Season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
MY TIP: Let the potato salad sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. Or make it a day ahead. It’s always better the next day when all the flavors have a chance to blend!
Interested in Czech cuisine? Discover more authentic Czech food!
➜ Potato salad presentation
Potato salad is a typical side dish in Czech cuisine, usually served alongside fried breaded meat. Garnish the salad on the plate with a sprig of green parsley as a final touch.
➜ Storage
Store the potato salad covered in the fridge and eat it up within three days. The salad is not suitable for freezing, as the low temperatures will change its texture; it would be mushy if thawed.
➜ Cook’s tips
- For the potato salad, choose potatoes of roughly the same size to be cooked evenly.
- Some Czech recipes call for adding celery or parsley root to the salad. If you have a chance to get these root veggies, boil them briefly, cut them into small cubes, and add some to the salad. Taste it to see how its taste changes.
➜ One helpful trick
When preparing potato salad, the Czechs often use a special slicer in the shape of a steel wheel to cut potatoes and soft vegetables. If you have the chance to buy one, don't hesitate to do so.
Working with this slicer will make your work very easy. It only costs a few bucks, and if cooking is your hobby, it's well worth the investment.
➜ Pronunciation
Curious how Czechs pronounce "bramborový salát"? I recorded a short audio clip to give you an idea! I'm a native speaker, so I guarantee an authentic Czech voice.
More Czech salads:
- Vlasský salat – ideal as a snack salad
- Deli salad with mayo – pochoutkovy salat
Czech Potato Salad – Bramborový salát
Czech classic potato salad is made with boiled potatoes, eggs, vegetables, dill pickles, and mayonnaise. In addition to salt and pepper, pickle juice and yellow mustard are mixed into the salad.
4.91 from 11 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Resting Time: 1 hour hour
Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 463kcal
Author: Petra Kupská
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Czech
Keyword: Czech side dishes, Potato recipes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds potatoes (900 g)
- 2 carrots mid-size
- 1 onion smaller
- ¾ cup green peas frozen
- 5 dill pickles smaller
- 2 Tablespoons pickle juice
- 5 eggs hard-boiled
- 1 cup mayonnaise (230 g)
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 and ½ teaspoon salt the exact amount of salt will depend on the type of mayonnaise used
- ½ teaspoon black pepper ground
Instructions
Boil the potatoes in their skins and let them cool down completely, ideally overnight. Once cooled, peel them.
Boil eggs for 8 minutes, let them cool, and peel them.
Allow the frozen peas to thaw.
Clean the carrots and cut them into 1-2 equal-sized pieces. Cook them in boiling water with a bit of salt and vinegar for about 5 minutes, then cool them quickly with cold water. The vegetables will be soft but not mushy.
Cut the potatoes, eggs, pickles, and carrots into cubes about ⅓ inch (0.8 cm) in size. Peel and finely chop the onion.
Put everything in a large bowl. Add mayonnaise, pickle juice, and yellow mustard. Season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
Notes
- Makes 6 portions as a side dish.
- Let the potato salad sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
- SERVING: Potato salad is a typical side dish in Czech cuisine, usually served alongside fried breaded meat. Garnish the salad on the plate with a sprig of green parsley as a final touch.
- STORAGE: Store the potato salad covered in the fridge and eat it up within three days. The salad is not suitable for freezing, as the low temperatures will change its texture; it would be mushy if thawed.
DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:
Conversion chart
Nutritional Estimate pro portion
Calories: 463kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 152mg | Sodium: 1434mg | Potassium: 897mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3863IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition Disclosure
Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
