Old Fashioned Potato Salad with Mayo and Eggs
This is the best potato salad ever, simple and budget friendly ingredients. Enjoy this iconic summer side dish all year long!
Equipment
- baking sheet with sides
- chef's knife
- Colander
- cutting board
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Medium saucepan pot with lid
- Mixing bowls
- spoon
- Stock pot with lid
- whisk
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 lbs Russet Potatoes
- 12 cups water (or the amount needed to cover the potatoes)
- 3 teaspoons sea salt (or more, 1 teaspoon to 3 cups water)
- 5 eggs (optional)
- 1 cup fine diced celery (~1 large stalk)
- 1/2 cup sweet onion (~ 1/2 large onion)
Dressing
- 1 cup mayo
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup whole or 2% milk
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup sweet relish
- 1 teaspoon mustard
Instructions
Potatoes
- Wash. Wash potatoes. Peel if desired, but in this recipe, I keep the skins. It's less food waste and less effort.3 1/2 lbs Russet Potatoes
- Cube. Potatoes are roly-poly little things, so safety first. I like to slice the potato in the middle lengthwise, so you have a flat surface, and it won’t move as easily. Then, with the flat side of the potato on the cutting board. slice the potato 1/2” thick the short way, and then each of those pieces into lengths, then cubes. Keep them as uniform in size as you can so they cook evenly.
- Stock Pot. Place potatoes in a large stock pot.
- Salt. Cover the potatoes with water. Make sure there is at least 1-1 1/2" of water above the potatoes to ensure the potatoes are covered. Add salt, mix, and cover the pot with a lid.12 cups water (or the amount needed to cover the potatoes), 3 teaspoons sea salt (or more, 1 teaspoon to 3 cups water)
- Boil. Bring the water to a boil. It will feel like eternity. Don't watch the water, it knows. Instead see the egg instructions to work on while you wait. Then come back to this.
- Start the Clock. Start the timing for the potatoes once the water is at a full rolling boil and keep it boiling for 6-7 minutes. Once the potatoes start boiling it won't take long to cook because of the 1/2" size of the cubes.
- Test. To test the potatoes, carefully remove a few cubes and place them on a cutting board or plate. A fork should easily pierce the potatoes or easily cut through. When cool enough, taste a cube. They should not have any crunch, but still be a little firm. Test the largest piece you can find. They also should have a good flavor so that you could eat them plain. If they are crunchy at all, continue to boil.
- Drain. When the potatoes are done, carefully drain them into a colander. Watch out for the steam and boiling water as you pour. If you don’t want to pour the potatoes out, use a large soup ladle or spoon to move them from the hot water to the colander.
- Cool Down.After the potatoes are well drained, spread them out on a cookie sheet to cool. Go to 'Veggies'.
Eggs
- Eggs. While waiting for the potatoes to come to a boil, start the eggs. This method should produce a hard-boiled egg with a yellow yolk, not a green/gray yolk.5 eggs (optional)
- Boil. Place the eggs in a saucepan pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, put a lid on the water and turn off the heat. Let the egg sit for 20 minutes. Go back to potatoes. But keep an eye on the eggs and move to the next egg step when the 20 minutes has ended.
- Drain and Cool. Next, drain the hot water from the eggs and replace it with ice cubes and cold water. Let the eggs sit until they are cool enough to handle.
- Drain and Peel. Drain the cold water. Keeping the eggs in the pot, give the pot a shake so the eggs collide and crack the shells. Peel. Rinse under water if needed to aid in the removal of the shell.
- Chop. Rough chop the eggs and set aside.
Veggies
- Celery. Wash and fine dice the celery. To do this, cut off the base end of the celery removing the white bitter bottom inch or two and remove the top just below the ‘knot’. I save these pieces in a plastic bag in my freezer to use in making chicken broth. Then slice the stalk into ¼” ribbons from top to bottom. Cut these into tiny cubes.1 cup fine diced celery (~1 large stalk)
- Onion. Peel, slice, and fine dice the white onion.1/2 cup sweet onion (~ 1/2 large onion)
- Next...Set both veggies aside and prepare the dressing or return to cool off the eggs.
Dressing
- Whisk. Place all dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. The dressing should coat the back of a spoon and be runny.1 cup mayo, 2 Tablespoons sugar, 1/2 cup whole or 2% milk, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/3 cup sweet relish, 1 teaspoon mustard
- Combine. In a large mixing bowl, add the potatoes, celery, onions, and dressing. Gently fold the dressing into the potatoes. This is done best with a large mixing spoon.
- Eggs. Lastly, fold in the chopped eggs.
- Enjoy! Serve immediately, or chill until ready to serve. I believe this potato salad tastes best when it can be refrigerated for several hours or overnight before serving.