Celebrate summer and Labor Day with this corn and potato salad

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This article was published 25/08/2025 (410 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

We are almost face-to-face with Labor Day, but there’s still a sliver of summer left. And we should not waste these last days telling each other how quickly the season has flown by.

Let’s spend the rest of summer and early fall eating all of the ripe, rainbow-hued produce that is spilling over at the farmer’s markets and (if we’re lucky) in our gardens. Tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, herbs, string beans and — to some folks’ minds — the pick of the season: fresh sweet corn.

Do you have an avid corn lover in your world? The kind of person who will eat three ears of corn without blinking? A friend who will call you up in the fall, sounding panicked, to share the news that the corn stand has closed and the season is over?

I have several such people in my life. And I made this potato salad for them.

This corn and potato salad is at once comfortingly creamy and bracingly bright. Tender chunks of potato mingle with sweet corn (at other times of year, you can think about using frozen or canned corn, but not just yet), crispy bacon and a tangy lemon-buttermilk dressing. It’s the kind of crowd-pleasing summer side dish that works for cookouts, backyard gatherings and that Labor Day party menu.

You can prep this salad ahead and serve it at room temperature. If you love corn, add as much as you like. You could even make it into a corn salad punctuated with potatoes if you’re so inclined.

A couple tips

If you are a regular potato-salad maker, you know that potatoes can absorb dressing pretty significantly. This might seem like quite a bit of dressing at first, but the salad will thicken up on standing. And if you refrigerate it, even more.

If you are thinking of bringing this corn and potato salad to a picnic or other potluck event, remember to pack the extra crumbled bacon in a separate baggie or container and sprinkle it on at the end to preserve the crunchiness. But if you don’t remember? Eh. You brought potato salad … you’re awesome.

Double or triple this recipe at will.

Corn and Potato Salad

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold or waxy potatoes, peeled

Kosher or coarse salt to taste

2 cups fresh corn kernels

1/2 onion, finely minced

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon

Directions:

1. Cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch dice. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat, add the potatoes, partially cover the pot and simmer for about 10 minutes until the potatoes are almost fork-tender. Add the corn and simmer for another 2 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the corn kernels crisp and just cooked through. Drain the potatoes and the corn; let them cool for about 10 minutes in the colander.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the onion, yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, and salt and pepper.

3. Place the warm potatoes and corn, basil and half the bacon in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over it and toss to mix well. Turn into a serving bowl and top with the remainder of the crumbled bacon.

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Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press. She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!” and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.” She blogs at https://themom100.com/. She can be reached at Katie@themom100.com.

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