4 potato salads for your next backyard barbecue [Video]

Potato salad, a staple of backyard barbecues and lakeside picnics, is one of the easiest to make. There’s “mom’s classic” and potato salads in zesty vinaigrettes, plus salads that showcase a rainbow of heirloom potatoes — purple, rose, golden, pure white — that are now at our farmers markets.

All call for the best ingredients and simple techniques, and these tips can help turn any good potato salad into a great one.

Use the right potato. Firm varieties — fingerlings, Red Bliss, Yukon Gold, Yellow Fin and new potatoes — hold up to bold dressings and can be made in advance. Choose smaller spuds that are about the same size. They’ll cook quickly and be done around the same time. Baby or micro-potatoes work great.

To peel or not to peel? Most recipes call for peeling after cooking, but unpeeled potatoes give the salad a lovely rustic effect. Plus, potato …