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Old-Fashioned Potato Salad

Old-fashioned potato salad is a classic creamy potato salad with eggs, celery, and sweet pickle relish folded into a tangy mayo dressing. Cubed russet potatoes are boiled until tender, cooled, then chilled for a picnic-ready 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: 490
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Potatoes and add-ins
  • 3 lb russet potatoes
  • 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
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • paprika for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Boil and cool the potatoes
  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then add the peeled and cubed russet potatoes and boil until tender, about 15 minutes, so a fork slides in easily.
  2. Drain the potato cubes and let them cool until no longer steaming, about 5 minutes, for a drier base that won’t loosen the dressing.
Mix the potato salad
  1. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, diced celery, finely diced onion, and sweet pickle relish.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper until smooth and evenly colored.
  3. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold gently, stopping when no dry pockets remain so the eggs stay in chunky pieces.
Chill and serve
  1. Cover and refrigerate the potato salad for at least 2 hours, until cold and cohesive.
  2. Before serving, garnish with paprika for a classic speckled finish.

Notes

Pro tip: cool the potatoes before mixing to keep the dressing creamy instead of watery. Store covered in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days; do not freeze, as mayonnaise-based dressing can break. For a lighter version, use light mayonnaise (or half mayo/half Greek yogurt) to reduce fat while keeping the tangy flavor.