Go Back

Old-Fashioned Potato Salad

Classic potato salad made old-fashioned style with creamy mayo dressing, chopped hard-boiled eggs, celery, and sweet pickle relish. Tender russet potatoes are boiled, cooled, then folded with a tangy mustard-vinegar dressing for a creamy picnic salad texture.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Chilling 2 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Potatoes and mix-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
  • 0.25 salt To taste.
  • 0.25 pepper To taste.
  • 0.5 tsp paprika For garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Boil potatoes
  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the peeled, cubed russet potatoes, cooking until tender, about 15 minutes.
  2. Drain the potatoes and spread them on a sheet pan to cool before assembling.
Make potato salad base
  1. In a large bowl, combine the cooled potatoes with chopped hard-boiled eggs, diced celery, finely diced onion, and sweet pickle relish.
Dress and finish
  1. In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth.
  2. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold gently to keep the cubes intact.
  3. Refrigerate the potato salad for at least 2 hours so flavors meld.
  4. Before serving, garnish with paprika for color.

Notes

For best texture, cool the potatoes completely before mixing so the dressing stays creamy and doesn’t thin. Refrigerate in a covered container for 3-4 days; freezing is not recommended. For a lighter option, replace half the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt (still chill at least 2 hours).