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Korean Potato Salad

Korean potato salad (gamja salad) with a creamy sweet tang, made by boiling russet potatoes until very tender, then rough-mashing for a hearty texture. Mixed with crunchy vegetables, corn, and chopped hard-boiled eggs, then chilled for at least 2 hours for best flavor.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Korean
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Potatoes
  • 3 lb russet potatoes Peeled and cubed.
Vegetables and eggs
  • 2 carrots Diced small.
  • 1 cucumber Seeded and diced.
  • 0.5 cup corn kernels
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs Chopped.
Creamy sweet dressing
  • 0.5 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 0.25 salt To taste.
  • 0.25 pepper To taste.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Boil and prepare the potatoes
  1. Bring a Dutch oven of water to a boil, then add the russet potatoes (peeled and cubed). Boil until very tender, about 15–20 minutes.
  2. Drain the potatoes thoroughly, then mash them roughly (not completely smooth) while still warm.
Blanch the carrots
  1. Blanch the carrots in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain well.
Assemble the salad base
  1. Combine the mashed potatoes, drained carrots, cucumber, corn kernels, and chopped hard-boiled eggs in a large mixing space.
Make and fold in the sweet creamy dressing
  1. In a separate bowl area, mix mayonnaise, sugar, rice vinegar, salt, and pepper until smooth and cohesive.
  2. Fold the dressing into the potato mixture until evenly coated, keeping some texture from the rough-mashed potatoes.
Chill before serving
  1. Refrigerate the Korean potato salad for at least 2 hours before serving for the flavors to meld and the texture to set.

Notes

For the creamiest gamja salad texture, mash while the potatoes are hot so the mixture thickens naturally, and don’t over-mash—leave some chunky bits. Store covered in the refrigerator for 3–4 days; freeze is not recommended because the potatoes and mayo-based dressing can become watery when thawed. For a lighter option, use a reduced-fat or Greek-yogurt-based mayonnaise substitute while keeping the sugar and rice vinegar for the same sweet-tang balance.