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When a potato dish comes out too salty, all is not lost. To salvage it, add flavorful ingredients to dilute and mask the saltiness.
For potato soup or potato salad, increase the entire recipe—minus the salt—by one-third to half. You could also change the character of the recipe by increasing or adding just one ingredient:
- Potato soup: Add one or more potatoes or one can of well-rinsed white beans.
- Mashed potatoes: Add one to four additional potatoes.
- Potato salad: Add more celery or a few more hard-boiled eggs.
Food with strong flavors—including acidic, tart, hot or sweet—distract from saltiness in a dish. Here are some tasty options:
- Fresh herbs: Sprinkle chopped chives or parsley over salty scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes or potato salad.
- Dried tomatoes: Add chopped dried tomatoes over scalloped potatoes. The tomatoes' sweetness and acidity mask the salt.
- Lemon juice or vinegar: Dilute salty potato soup or potato salad with an acidic liquid. White wine may also be added to potato soup.
- Chili powder or hot sauce: Add some heat to potato soup.
- Garlic: Finely minced or mashed roasted garlic adds depth of flavor to salty mashed potatoes.
- Whole cream: Cream can dilute saltiness and also give mashed potatoes a silky texture.
- Starchy vegetables: Add sweet potato or roasted carrot to creamed potato soup.
When you cook, it's always good practice to add salt in small increments and taste as you go.