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Picnic Potato Salad

Picnic salad classic recipe featuring creamy, tender potato cubes and chopped hard-boiled eggs folded into a tangy mustard-vinegar mayonnaise dressing. Chilled for hours so the flavors meld for outdoor food picnics.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
chilling 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 610
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Potato salad base
  • 3 lb russet potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 5 hard-boiled eggs chopped
  • 0.5 cup celery diced
  • 0.25 cup onion finely diced
  • 0.25 cup sweet pickle relish
Creamy mustard dressing
  • 1.25 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 salt to taste
  • 1 pepper to taste
  • 1 paprika for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Boil and cool the potatoes
  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then cook the russet potatoes until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Keep the boil steady so the cubes cook evenly.
  2. Drain the potatoes and spread them on a sheet pan to cool completely. Let them cool fully so the salad stays creamy, not watery.
Build the potato salad
  1. Combine the cooled potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, celery, onion, and sweet pickle relish in a large bowl. Mix until evenly distributed.
  2. Whisk together the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, white vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
  3. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold gently to coat. Stop mixing once everything looks evenly covered.
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate the potato salad for at least 3 hours. This resting time helps the flavors blend.
  2. Right before serving, garnish with paprika. Sprinkle lightly so the color shows in the bowl.

Notes

For the cleanest texture, cool the boiled potatoes completely before mixing—warm potatoes can soften the egg and thin the dressing. Refrigerate covered up to 4 days; for best texture, stir once after chilling. Freezing is not recommended because mayonnaise-based dressings can break. For a lower-fat swap, use light mayonnaise instead of regular mayonnaise without changing the rest of the process.