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Southern Potato Salad

Southern potato salad with rich, creamy Southern-style dressing and plenty of chopped hard-boiled egg. Yukon gold potatoes get boiled fork-tender, then chilled for a classic, scoopable BBQ side 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: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Boil and cool the potatoes
  1. Boil the Yukon gold potatoes in salted water at 100°C (212°F) until fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and spread them out to cool so they don’t steam the salad.
Build the potato mixture
  1. Combine the cooled potatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, finely diced celery, finely diced onion, and sweet pickle relish in a large bowl. Fold gently until the mix is evenly dotted with egg (look for visible yellow and white pieces).
Make the Southern-style dressing
  1. Mix mayonnaise, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, celery seed, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until smooth and glossy, with no dry sugar pockets visible.
Combine and chill
  1. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and fold gently until everything looks creamy and coated. Use a light touch so the potatoes stay chunky.
  2. Refrigerate the salad for at least 3 hours or overnight to set the flavors. The surface should look thicker and more cohesive when ready to serve.
  3. Before serving, garnish with paprika so it creates a visible dusting over the creamy potatoes. Serve cold for the best texture.

Notes

For the creamiest Southern-style texture, cool the potatoes completely before mixing so the dressing clings instead of turning runny. Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 4 days; freeze is not recommended for this mayo-based salad. To make it lightly tangier, swap yellow mustard for Dijon or use low-sugar relish while keeping the same amount.