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Creamy Potato Salad

Creamy potato salad with ultra-creamy texture made by folding russet potatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and classic celery-onion pickles into a rich mayo sour cream dressing. This traditional recipe chills for smooth, thick consistency perfect for a party salad presentation.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 450
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Potato base
  • 3 lb russet potatoes
  • 5 hard-boiled eggs
  • 0.5 cup celery finely diced
  • 0.25 cup onion finely diced
  • 0.25 cup sweet pickle relish
Rich creamy dressing
  • 1.5 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.25 cup sour cream
  • 2 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 0.25 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.25 tsp pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Cook and cool the potatoes
  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then cook the peeled and cubed russet potatoes until tender, 200-210°F (boiling) for 15-20 minutes, depending on cube size, until a knife slides in easily. Visual cue: the cubes look soft and break slightly at the edges.
  2. Drain the potatoes and cool them until no longer hot, about 10 minutes at room temperature. Visual cue: the surface looks matte, not steamy.
Chop and assemble the mix-in ingredients
  1. Chop the hard-boiled eggs. Visual cue: pieces are small and even for consistent bites.
  2. Finely dice the celery and finely dice the onion. Visual cue: both are very small so they blend smoothly into the salad.
  3. Combine the cooled potatoes, chopped eggs, diced celery, diced onion, and sweet pickle relish in a large bowl. Visual cue: the mixture looks evenly speckled with relish and egg.
Make the rich dressing
  1. Whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, yellow mustard, white vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth. Visual cue: the dressing turns creamy and uniform with no mustard streaks.
  2. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold gently until fully coated and very creamy, 1-2 minutes. Visual cue: the salad becomes pale and thick with a glossy, smooth texture.
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate the potato salad for at least 2 hours to thicken and blend flavors, keeping it covered. Visual cue: it looks more set and holds its shape when scooped.

Notes

For the creamiest classic texture, cool the potatoes to room temperature before mixing so the mayo dressing stays thick. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Freeze: no. Dietary swap: use Greek yogurt in place of half the mayonnaise for a slightly lighter rich dressing.