Grandma’s Old Fashioned Potato Salad
Discover the classic touches that make Grandma’s Old Fashioned Potato Salad so special! It’s simple, comforting, and tastes just like Grandma (or Mom) used to make.
Did your Grandma or Mom make the best potato salad? I know mine did, and I’m excited to share the “secrets” with you.
Grandma’s Old Fashioned Potato Salad is a classic, no-fuss recipe, with just a few simple techniques and additions to make it taste like it did back in the day.
It was a big success at my house! I shared some of the salad with friends and my husband was mad that he didn’t get to eat the whole batch. So I know I’ll be making it a few more times this summer.
The salad is perfectly seasoned, and I love serving it for cookouts, summer celebrations, a simple grilled dinner, or simply for a hankering for a classic potato salad.
Grandma’s Secrets to Potato Salad
Are you ready for the secrets? They’re nothing groundbreaking. But they make all the difference in potato salad.
- Toss the cooked potatoes with oil and vinegar, and chill completely before adding the mayo dressing. Once the mayo dressing is added, it’s ready to eat.
- Add a teaspoon of sugar. It’s enough to make the flavors pop without adding sweetness.
- Salt the potatoes twice: once as they cook, then again after cooking. This ensures the potatoes themselves are flavorful.
- Always use yellow mustard. No fancy dijon here.
- A couple hard boiled eggs make it special.
What You’ll Need
- The best potatoes to use are Yukon Gold potatoes. They hold their shape when cooked (essential for potato salad) and absorb flavors well, which is perfect for a well-seasoned potato salad. You can also use red potatoes.
- I used white vinegar. Apple cider vinegar works too.
- The mustard should be yellow mustard. The dijon mustard trend (Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?) didn’t start until the early ’80s. Dijon will work in a pinch, but Grandma/Mom most likely used yellow mustard.
How to Make Grandma’s Old Fashioned Potato Salad
- Halve or quarter the potatoes, then cook in salted water until tender. A paring knife should be able to easily pierce the potato all the way through when they are tender.
- Remove the peels and chop into ½-inch pieces (or slightly smaller, depending on your preference).
- Toss the potatoes with oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
- Toss the chilled potatoes with the celery, onion, mayo, mustard, and hard boiled eggs. Serve right away or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yukon Gold potatoes are the best choice. They hold their shape when cooked and absorb flavors easily. Red potatoes will also work, and Russet potatoes can be used but they have the potential to get mushy easily.
The texture is the most traditional when you peel the potatoes. But, you can even leave the skin on if you like, such as in my best ever red potato salad).
Absolutely. While I enjoyed it right away, it can taste even better the next day. You can make the salad 1–2 days in advance and refrigerate it (covered) until ready to serve.
I don’t recommend it. The mayo mixture will get watery after the freeze/thaw process.
Variations and Serving Ideas
Here are a few ideas for simple additions to jazz it up:
- Add ½ cup chopped pickles (sweet or dill)
- Add ½ cup pickle relish to the dressing
- Mix in a few tablespoons of fresh herbs like parsley, dill, or chives
- Add a small jar of drained and chopped pimentos
- Sprinkle paprika on top
To serve potato salad at a cookout, I put it in a serving bowl, then nestle the serving bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice to keep it chilled. This bowl is designed for that purpose, but really you can just use two bowls in your own kitchen that fit together nicely.
📖 Recipe
Grandma’s Old Fashioned Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 –2½ lbs Yukon Gold or red potatoes
- 2 teaspoons salt (for the cooking water)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- ½ cup chopped yellow onion
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 2 hard boiled eggs peeled and chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Halve 2 –2½ lbs Yukon Gold or red potatoes (or quarter if large) and place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add 2 teaspoons salt to the water.
- Place the saucepan on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook for 15–20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender but not mushy. A paring knife should easily be able to pierce through the largest piece of potato in the pot.
- Drain well and let the potatoes sit in the warm pot with the lid off for 10 minutes.
- Remove the peels, and cut the potatoes into ½ inch pieces (or slightly smaller, depending on your preference).
- Place the potatoes in a large bowl, and toss gently with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt. Let chill in the fridge for 2 hours. Leave it uncovered so any steam can escape.
- Remove the potatoes from the fridge and stir in 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons yellow mustard, ½ cup chopped yellow onion, ½ cup chopped celery, and 2 hard boiled eggs. Serve right away or refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Top with paprika and/or additional slices of hard boiled eggs for garnish.
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