Old Fashioned Potato Salad

4.73 from 66 votes

This Old Fashioned Potato Salad recipe is my version of the classic American potluck dish. Tender potatoes with a creamy, perfectly seasoned dressing. This fail-proof recipe is one of my old favorites!

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 384kcal

Author: Valerie Brunmeier

Ingredients

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
¾ cup diced white onion
2 ribs celery diced
4 hard-boiled eggs diced

For the Dressing

1 ½ cups mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish (see Notes below for alternate choices)
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
½ teaspoon celery salt
¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
paprika for garnish

Instructions

Add unpeeled potatoes to a deep pot that has a cover. Add enough water to cover the potatoes and place over HIGH heat. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat to MEDIUM, cover the pot and cook at a low boil for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Drain and immediately rinse potatoes with cold water until cool enough to handle. Use paper towels to pull the peels off the potatoes and chop into small pieces.
Combine chopped potatoes, diced onion, and diced celery in a large mixing bowl. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and toss to combine.
In a small mixing bowl combine mayonnaise, mustard, celery salt, pepper, and pickle relish. Add to potato mixture and gently stir to combine. Fold in chopped hard-boiled eggs. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
Sprinkle with paprika, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or more.

Notes

For the best flavor I don't recommend using light mayonnaise for this recipe. Use traditional mayo or the canola oil version is wonderful.

You can make this the night before but be aware that the dressing tends to be absorbed as the potato salad hangs out in the fridge so if you want it really creamy, you can reserve a small portion of the dressing to stir in just before serving.

Variations:

Don't like sweet pickles? Substitute dill pickle relish. If you really love sweet pickles (like me!) try adding more relish, to taste. My sister, Barb, adds an entire jar! You can also chop whatever type of pickles you like the most and use them instead of relish (try bread and butter pickles, yum!).

If you have fresh herbs on hand they are delicious in potato salad! Try adding a few pinches of any of the following - dill, chives, basil, or parsley.

Try substituting Dijon or whole grain mustard for the yellow mustard for a different flavor profile.

Every now and then Barb would add green peas! Try stirring in a cup of thawed (previously frozen) green peas. It may sound odd but it adds some nice color contrast and texture to the salad. Be like Barb.

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