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Southern Potato Salad

Southern potato salad with creamy mayonnaise dressing, chopped hard-boiled eggs, celery, onion, and sweet pickle relish. Yukon Gold potatoes are boiled until fork-tender, then chilled for a rich, scoopable texture.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
chilling 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Potatoes and eggs
  • 3 lb Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 6 hard-boiled eggs chopped
Vegetables and relish
  • 0.5 cup celery finely diced
  • 0.25 cup onion finely diced
  • 0.25 cup sweet pickle relish
Southern-style dressing
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.25 cup yellow mustard
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp celery seed
  • 0.1 Salt to taste
  • 0.1 pepper to taste
Garnish
  • 0.5 tsp Paprika for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Cook and cool the potatoes
  1. Boil peeled and cubed Yukon gold potatoes until fork-tender, about 15 minutes, then drain. Let the potatoes cool until no longer hot, using steam as your visual cue that they’re ready to stop heating.
  2. Chop hard-boiled eggs and set them aside. Use visible bite-sized pieces as your cue they’re evenly cut for mixing.
Assemble the salad
  1. Combine the cooled potatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, finely diced celery, finely diced onion, and sweet pickle relish in a large bowl. Fold in gently until the mix looks evenly speckled.
  2. Mix mayonnaise, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, celery seed, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl. Stir until the dressing looks smooth and cohesive.
  3. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold gently. Stop when everything is glossy and evenly coated, without mashing the potatoes.
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate the salad for at least 3 hours or overnight. Your visual cue is that the salad thickens and the flavors look settled after chilling.
  2. Garnish with paprika before serving. Use a light dusting so you can see orange-red specks on top.

Notes

For best texture, cool the potatoes completely before mixing so the mayonnaise dressing stays creamy and doesn’t break. Store covered in the refrigerator for 3–4 days; freezing is not recommended due to egg and mayo texture changes. If you want a lighter option, use reduced-fat mayonnaise for a similar tang with fewer calories.