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Old-Fashioned Potato Salad

Old-Fashioned potato salad with creamy mayo dressing, hard-boiled eggs, celery, and sweet pickle relish. Cubed russet potatoes are boiled until tender, folded with eggs and vegetables, then chilled for a classic, spoonable 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: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Russet potatoes
  • 3 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
Hard-boiled eggs
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
Celery
  • 0.5 cup celery, diced
Onion
  • 0.25 cup onion, finely diced
Sweet pickle relish
  • 0.25 cup sweet pickle relish
Mayonnaise
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
Yellow mustard
  • 2 tbsp yellow mustard
Apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Sugar
  • 1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste
Paprika
  • 1 paprika for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Boil and cool the potatoes
  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the russet potato cubes until tender, about 15 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when a fork slides in easily.
  2. Drain the boiled potatoes and let them cool before mixing. Spread them out briefly if needed so steam doesn’t keep them hot.
Build the potato salad
  1. Combine the cooled potatoes with chopped hard-boiled eggs, diced celery, finely diced onion, and sweet pickle relish in a large bowl. Toss gently so everything is evenly distributed.
  2. Mix mayonnaise, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl until smooth and uniform. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
  3. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold gently until the cubes look creamy and coated. Avoid vigorous stirring so the potatoes don’t break.
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate the potato salad for at least 2 hours to let the flavors meld and the dressing set. Keep it covered while chilling.
  2. Garnish with paprika right before serving. Add a light dusting so the top looks classic and colorful.

Notes

For the creamiest texture, cool the boiled potatoes completely before mixing—warm potatoes can thin the dressing. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container up to 4 days; freezing is not recommended as the mayo can break and turn watery. For a lighter option, use light mayonnaise in the same amount and fold carefully to keep the texture intact.