Old-Fashioned Potato Salad Recipe (creamy dressing)
This traditional potato salad is as vintage as they come, and this recipe has all the classic components: soft but not mushy potato pieces, a creamy dressing with a kick and crunch from the celery and onion. It's easy to customize to your liking and will never disappoint.
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
For the potatoes:
- 2 pounds baby potatoes or other waxy potatoes
- coarse salt for the boiling water
- splash of vinegar for the boiling water
- 1 tablespoon vinegar for the potatoes, optional
For the potato salad:
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ⅓ cup chopped dill pickles or relish
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion I use red for color, but yellow works just fine
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives or fresh parsley
- black pepper to taste
For the creamy dressing:
- 5 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk or natural yogurt
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon of pickle juice optional
Instructions
For the potatoes:
- Boil 2 pounds baby potatoes with their skins in a large pot of water with coarse salt, adding a splash of vinegar. This helps the potatoes hold their shape better. Cook for 7-8 minutes after the water boils, or until they are fork-tender (they can easily be pierced with a knife or fork).
- Drain well. You can run them under cold water for a few seconds to stop the cooking process. If you want to peel them, do so while hot. Or leave them with the skin on.
- Transfer the cooked potatoes to a shallow platter or dish. Handle them as little as possible; the more you move them around while hot, the mushier they turn. Leave them untouched until they’re barely warm or at room temperature. The key is to handle them as little as possible while hot, so they hold their shape and texture. Halfway through cooling, you can drizzle them with 1 tablespoon vinegar (it adds flavor) and stir lightly. I do it, but it's optional.
For the potato salad dressing:
- In a medium bowl or jar, mix 5 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons buttermilk, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ¼ teaspoon salt, black pepper to taste and 1 tablespoon of pickle juice, if using. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
- If making ahead, keep it refrigerated in an airtight container or covered jar.
To assemble:
- Place the cooled potatoes in a large bowl. Add the ½ cup chopped celery, ⅓ cup chopped dill pickles or relish, ¼ cup finely chopped onion, 1 tablespoon chopped chives or fresh parsley and some black pepper.
- Drizzle over some of the salad dressing, stir to mix, taste and add more if needed. Adjust for salt or other ingredients if necessary.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for a few hours. Stir lightly again before serving, and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon chopped chives or fresh parsley.
- Refrigerate leftovers, covered.
Notes
Two secrets to avoid mushy potatoes: add a splash of vinegar to the cooking water and, after draining the potatoes, transfer them to a shallow dish and let them cool. Don't touch them until they're very slightly warm ot at room temperature. If you start mixing and handling them too much, they'll turn mushy. And if you add all the dressing while hot, the final result will not be good.
Make ahead: this salad recipe benefits from being assembled and refrigerated a few hours before serving. This will meld the flavors and make it more flavorful. It can be kept for 2 days in the fridge, covered to prevent dryness.
