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Red Potato Salad

Red potato salad with skin-on red potatoes and a classic creamy Dijon dressing. Boiled until tender, then chilled for a rustic, picnic-ready salad with crisp celery and bright parsley.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Red potatoes and dressing
  • 3 lb red potatoes Cubed (skin on).
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 0.5 cup celery Diced.
  • 0.25 cup red onion Finely diced.
  • 0.25 cup fresh parsley Chopped.
  • 1 salt To taste.
  • 1 pepper To taste.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Cook and cool the potatoes
  1. Place cubed red potatoes (skin on) in a Dutch oven with enough water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat; boil until tender, 8–12 minutes, until a knife slides in easily and the pieces look slightly softened.
  2. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then cool them until they are no longer steaming, 10–15 minutes, so they won’t melt the dressing.
Make the classic dressing
  1. In a bowl, whisk mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and white wine vinegar together, then add salt and pepper; whisk until smooth and creamy, 1–2 minutes, with no mustard streaks.
Assemble and chill
  1. Add the cooled potatoes to the dressing and toss until every piece is coated, 2–3 minutes, so the mixture looks thick and creamy.
  2. Fold in diced celery, finely diced red onion, and chopped fresh parsley; toss gently 30–60 seconds, until evenly distributed and brightly speckled.
  3. Transfer the potato salad to a container, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours (up to overnight) to set the flavors, 2+ hours, until cold and cohesive with no pools of dressing.

Notes

For the best texture, cool the drained potatoes fully before mixing so the dressing stays creamy instead of runny. Refrigerate covered for 3–4 days; it can be frozen up to 1 month, though the mayo-based dressing may soften. For a lighter option, use light mayonnaise or an olive-oil-based mayo to reduce calories while keeping the rustic skin-on potato bites.