Thinking you overcooked your potatoes

So you think you've cooked your potatoes to perfection? If you're used to potato salad with large, chunky pieces of potato, this may appear to be a major issue. After all, you've probably heard that mushy potato salad is a major culinary sin. Overcooking your potatoes, it turns out, causes them to release a lot of their starch. That starch can adhere to the other ingredients, resulting in a more cohesive salad. In fact, if you're having trouble incorporating all of that dressing into the salad, overcooked potatoes could be the solution. Of course, not everyone prefers this type of potato salad, so if it's not your thing, keep an eye on your potatoes to make sure they don't overcook.

Whether you think you've overcooked the potatoes you were going to use for potato salad anyway, or you think you've overcooked potatoes you were going to use for another ingredient, mushy, crumbling potatoes can work well in a potato salad. Don't toss those potatoes! Try out this creamier, starchier version of pasta salad.