For Potato Salad That Rivals Italian Delis, Add This Tangy Jarred Item Everyone Forgets About

Potato salad comes in many forms. American potato salad tends to be mayo-based with hints of pickle, Japanese potato salad riffs off the American tradition with Kewpie mayo and fresh vegetables in lieu of pickle relish, and European potato salad is often served nearly naked with the potatoes being doused in a lighter dressing, like olive oil or a vinaigrette. The latter applies to the potato salad sold in Italian delis. 

If you want to give your potato salad a little extra Italian-inspired flair, reach for another Italian deli classic: muffuletta olive salad. If you're not familiar with muffuletta olive salad you might be wondering why you should add salad to salad, but muffuletta olive salad isn't your standard salad. It's more akin to the pickle relish you'd add to a classic American potato salad but with olives rather than pickles. The tangy blend combines chopped olives, pickled veggies, capers, and olive oil; making for an easy way to add a pre-seasoned punch.

Muffuletta salad is traditionally served as a topping on a muffuletta sandwich. While both sandwich and salad use plenty of Mediterranean-inspired ingredients, they're not actually Italian. Instead, they're an example of Italian-American cuisine. Muffuletta, which is now Louisiana's signature sandwich, was invented in New Orleans by an Italian immigrant.

If your classic Italian salad tastes more like a pile of vegetables than a cohesive salad, muffuletta can help unify the separate ingredients. The flavors are already balanced for you: Just toss the muffuletta with the vegetables and potatoes and serve.

While traditional Italian potato salad is mayo-free, you can experiment with adding muffuletta to mayo-based potato salads too. For example, muffuletta can spruce up Long Island potato salad (a straightforward, mayo-based version found in New York delis) since adding olives and capers helps to cut through the heavy mayo.

Not every type of potato salad will benefit from muffuletta, though. The Mediterranean-style ingredient would clash with a Southern potato salad, for one, and you'll want to keep savory olives and sweet pickle relish separate. 

Look for jars of muffuletta alongside the olives and pickles at your local grocery store or check the deli section to see if the store sells it fresh. Can't find it in stock? While DIY-ing your own muffuletta salad may be more than you bargained for, a handful of chopped olives or a sprinkling of capers can provide a similar effect.