Go Back

Old-Fashioned Potato Salad

Classic potato salad made the traditional way with tender cubed russets, chopped hard-boiled eggs, celery, and sweet pickle relish folded into a creamy mustard dressing. Chilled before serving for a thick, spoon-coating texture.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
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: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Potatoes
  • 3 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
Eggs
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
Vegetables and relish
  • 0.5 cup celery, diced
  • 0.25 cup onion, finely diced
  • 0.25 cup sweet pickle relish
Dressing
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 0.1 Salt and pepper to taste Use to taste.
Garnish
  • 0.25 tsp Paprika for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Boil and cool the potatoes
  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the russet potato cubes and boil until tender, about 15 minutes (visual cue: a fork slides into the centers). Drain the potatoes and let them cool until no longer hot.
Build the salad base
  1. Add the potatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, diced celery, finely diced onion, and sweet pickle relish to a large bowl and toss to combine (visual cue: evenly speckled throughout).
Make and combine the dressing
  1. Mix mayonnaise, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste until smooth (visual cue: thick, creamy dressing with uniform color).
  2. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold gently until everything is coated (visual cue: glossy, creamy coating without breaking up the potatoes).
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate the potato salad for at least 2 hours (visual cue: slightly thickened and cold throughout).
  2. Before serving, garnish with paprika (visual cue: a light dusting on top for color).

Notes

For the best old-fashioned texture, cool the boiled potatoes fully before mixing so the dressing stays creamy instead of runny. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freezing is not recommended due to texture changes. For a lighter option, replace half the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt while keeping the mustard and vinegar the same.