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Old-Fashioned Potato Salad

Old-fashioned potato salad with classic creamy dressing, hard-boiled eggs, celery, and sweet pickle relish. Cubed russet potatoes are boiled until tender, cooled, then folded into a mayo-mustard-vinegar mixture for a traditional picnic salad texture.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 495
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Potatoes
  • 3 lb russet potatoes peeled and cubed
Eggs and vegetables
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs chopped
  • 0.5 cup celery diced
  • 0.25 cup onion finely diced
  • 0.25 cup sweet pickle relish
Creamy dressing
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 0.25 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.125 tsp pepper to taste
Garnish
  • 1 tsp paprika for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Boil and cool
  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil in a Dutch oven, then add the russet potato cubes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and let the potatoes cool completely so the salad stays creamy, not watery.
Mix the potato salad
  1. In a large bowl, combine the cooled potatoes with hard-boiled eggs, celery, onion, and sweet pickle relish. Stir until evenly distributed.
  2. Mix mayonnaise, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a bowl until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  3. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold gently to coat. Stop folding once everything looks glossy and combined to avoid breaking up the potatoes.
Chill and garnish
  1. Cover and refrigerate the potato salad for at least 2 hours. This chilling step helps the flavors meld and thickens the creamy dressing slightly.
  2. Before serving, sprinkle paprika over the top for garnish. Serve cold and keep leftovers refrigerated.

Notes

Pro tip: cool the potatoes fully before mixing so they don’t water down the creamy dressing. Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 4 days; freeze is not recommended. For a lighter option, use light mayonnaise and keep the same mustard-vinegar balance for a similar tang.