Classic Potato Salad

This delicious classic potato salad is creamy with a hint of crunch from the onion, celery, and pickles, and it’s incredibly easy to make!

This classic potato salad recipe from Cook’s Illustrated is easy to make and reminds me of my childhood. I had some hard-boiled eggs and potatoes that needed to be used, so I added them to this simple potato salad recipe. I adapted the recipe by using dill pickles instead of sweet relish because my family prefers it that way, but otherwise kept to the original recipe. This creamy potato salad paired nicely with some baked chicken drumsticks, baked beans, and a big spinach salad for dinner.

Classic Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled & cut into ¾-inch pieces
• 1 tbsp kosher salt (for the potato cooking water)
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 stalk of celery, finely diced
• 3 tbsp dill pickles + 1 tbsp pickle juice,  ***OR 3 tbsp sweet pickle relish
• 2 tbsp red or yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped, plus more for garnishing, if desired   ***OR fresh parsley, chopped
• ¾ tsp dry mustard
• ¾ tsp celery seed  ***NOT celery salt
• Pinch of sugar, to taste
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled & chopped

How to Make Classic Potato Salad

Cook the potatoes by placing the potatoes and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt with enough water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch, in a large saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer the potatoes for 8-10 minutes, or until fork-tender. Side Note: Don’t overcook the potatoes, or your potato salad will be mushy.

Season the potatoes by draining them well, then gently dump them into a large bowl. Immediately drizzle the vinegar over the hot potatoes and gently toss them with a rubber spatula to coat them evenly; set aside to cool completely, about 20-30 minutes. Side Note: Don’t skip this step! The vinegar helps flavor the potatoes. 

Make the salad dressing while the potatoes are cooling by combining the mayonnaise, celery, pickles, onion, chives, mustard, celery seeds, sugar, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper. Stir well and place in the refrigerator to allow the flavors time to mingle until needed.

Prepare the salad by gently folding the salad dressing into the cooled potatoes and chopped eggs until evenly mixed and coated.

Top with additional chives, if desired.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Enjoy.