Old Fashioned Potato Salad
Classic, creamy, tangy potato salad with hard-boiled eggs, crunchy celery, and a little pop from sunflower seeds. The quick trick is boiling the potatoes in pickle juice (plus water) so they’re seasoned from the inside out. Perfect for barbecues, potlucks, and easy snacking all week.
Equipment
- Shallow pot or sauté pan with lid A shallow pan makes it easier to submerge the potatoes evenly in the pickle juice/water mixture.
- Cutting board and knife For chopping the ingredients
- Box grater For grating the carrots
- mixing bowl Medium size
Ingredients
- 1 lb waxy potatoes baby potatoes, fingerlings, or Yukon Gold
- Pickle juice enough to cover potatoes halfway, see notes
- 2 large eggs
- 1 celery stalk finely chopped
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 dill pickle finely chopped (plus extra if you want)
- 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds plus more for topping (toasted or raw)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste (see notes)
Instructions
- Prep the potatoes. Slice small potatoes into 1 cm rounds. If using larger potatoes, cut into chunks first, then slice.
- Boil the potatoes in pickle juice + water. Add potatoes to a shallow pot or sauté pan. Pour in pickle juice, then add enough water to barely cover the potatoes (aim for about half pickle juice, half water). Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until fork-tender.
- Steam the eggs on top. While the potatoes are simmering, gently place the eggs on top of the potatoes, cover, and steam for 10 minutes. Remove the eggs and cool.
- Drain and cool. Drain the potatoes well, then spread out on a baking sheet (or large plate) and cool about 30 minutes until no longer warm.
- Mix the dressing. In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, and black pepper.
- Combine. Add the cooled potatoes, celery, grated carrot, chopped pickle, and most of the sunflower seeds. Peel and chop the eggs (or break them up with your hands) and add them in.
- Finish & chill. Stir gently until coated. Taste and adjust (salt if needed, extra vinegar or pickle juice if you want it tangier). Top with remaining sunflower seeds. Serve right away, or refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours for best flavor.
Notes
- The pickle juice trick: Boiling in pickle juice seasons the potatoes from the inside out. If you’re short on pickle juice, do a smaller splash and use salted water.
- Shallow pot: This makes it easier to get the potatoes evenly submerged in the flavorful liquid while they cook.
- Salt level: Depending on how salty your pickle juice is, you may not need much (or any) added salt. Taste at the end.
- Make ahead: This gets better after a couple hours in the fridge. If it looks a bit dry the next day, stir in a spoonful of mayo, or a splash of pickle juice or vinegar.
- Sunflower seeds: My mom always used raw, but you can toast them for nutty flavor if you prefer.
- Optional add-ins: finely diced red onion or green onion (soak in cold water 5 to 10 minutes if you want it milder), fresh dill, smoked paprika, or extra pickles for more tang.
- Storage: Airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 241.1kcalCarbohydrates: 21.1gProtein: 6.1gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2.6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7.8gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 88.1mgSodium: 372.5mgPotassium: 653.9mgFiber: 3.1gSugar: 2.8gVitamin A: 2725.6IUVitamin C: 11.1mgCalcium: 46.9mgIron: 1.6mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!