Mama’s potato salad! For most of my life, I never even imagined any side dish that was as delicious as this one, and we had it often! My mama’s potato salad is one of those delicious side dishes that goes with almost any meal. I also like the fact that you can serve it year-round, not just at a holiday dinner.

This is an old fashioned potato salad that my mother learned from her mother, who probably also learned from her mother. Some people like German potato salad with an apple cider vinegar base, and I do too. However, my favorite is this southern classic potato salad.

You can use whatever potatoes you have on hand. It’s good with Yukon gold potatoes, red potatoes, or even russet potatoes. It doesn’t matter.

I highly recommend reading this entire post before you begin preparing the recipe. However, if all you want is the list of ingredients with full directions, please either click on the jump-to-recipe button above or scroll to the bottom of this post.

Old Fashioned Potato Salad Recipe

We eat this during summer picnics, at Thanksgiving, and any other time we feel like it. That’s what makes it the perfect side dish with everything from coconut shrimp to Mexican ground beef patties.

Every southerner claims to have the best potato salad, but a lot of the recipes are similar. So my mother figured out a way to make hers a tad different. She garnished it with sliced, pimento-stuffed green olives. And I’m not talking about just a few. In fact, she pretty much covered the top of it with olives.

My dad and I teased her and said that the salad was looking back up at us. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t amused, but she kept doing it. I’ve used other types of garnish, such as sliced black olives, pimentos, and even pickles. Since I don’t want to mess with the foundation of the potato salad, I only add these things to the top to add visual interest.

If someone doesn’t like olives, they can pick them off. However, I think they add so much deliciousness to the flavor.

My mother’s family used to have a lot of family reunions. So when we were in Mississippi during those times, my mother always brought a big bowl of potato salad. After a while, people began to look for her potato salad because it was so yummy. I think they also enjoyed the way she garnished it.

I still make her version, but I don’t put quite as many olives on the top. And I sprinkle paprika to add even more color.

Ingredients

Of course you’ll need potatoes. Any kind will do, but since I had small red potatoes in the bin, I used them.

The rest of the ingredients are what add flavor, texture, and presentation. I use hard boiled eggs, celery, sweet pickle relish, mayonnaise, and a tiny bit of mustard.

You’ll need paprika and green olives with pimentos for garnish. That is, if you want the extra color. But if you don’t want either of those, simply leave them off.

You can add other ingredients as well. For example, my great-aunt liked to put bacon in hers, while another relative added cheese. Another thing you might enjoy is potato salad with sour cream. All you have to do is cut the amount of mayonnaise by the amount of sour cream you add.

If you think something might be good in your potato salad, try adding it to a small amount. Taste it before adding it to the rest of the batch. Feel free to use dill pickles or dill pickle relish if you prefer. You can also use dijon mustard instead of the standard yellow mustard.

When I want a different flavor, I might add some chopped fresh herbs and red onion. If you want, you can use miracle whip, but I really prefer mayonnaise. For a more tart potato salad recipe, swap out some of the mayo for sour cream. Or you can add a little vinegar or even pickle juice.

It’s also good with some chopped celery or shredded carrots. Don’t be afraid to add other ingredients. If you’re worried that it might not be good, scoop out a little bit of the basic recipe and add whatever you’re thinking about. Taste it to determine whether or not it’s good enough to put in the bulk of the potato salad.

For exact measurements of each ingredient and full directions, go to the recipe card at the bottom of the page. You can even print out the card by using the “print” button.

How to Make Mama’s Potato Salad

Potato salad is one of the easiest side dishes you can make for big payoff when it’s done. After boiling the potatoes and eggs, it’s all about assembling the ingredients and adding a touch of garnish. First, cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces and boil them in a pot of water. In a separate pot, boil the eggs.

While the potatoes and eggs are boiling, chop the celery. After the potatoes are done rinse them in cold water and set them aside. Peel the eggs when they’re cool enough to handle and chop them.

Mix the potatoes and chopped eggs with the celery, pickle relish, mayonnaise, and mustard. Now you have potato salad, but we’re not done.

Carefully scoop the potato salad into a serving bowl. Dust the top with paprika. Be careful to let some of the potato salad poke through. You don’t want it to look like a giant bowl of paprika.

Finally, slice some olives and place them on top. If you’re like my mother and enjoy a lot of garnish, add more. Now you have a beautiful potato salad that’s ready for your next potluck or family dinner.

Is Potato Salad Gluten Free?

This is a gluten free potato salad recipe. In fact, most potato salad is gluten free because there is no need to add wheat, barley, or rye to the mixture. That said, it’s always a good idea to read the labels of the ingredients before adding them.

How Long Can Potato Salad Sit Out?

Potato salad can safely sit out for up to 2 hours. However, it shouldn’t be exposed to extreme heat for more than an hour. If it tastes or smells bad, don’t eat it. So if you’re serving it at a summertime backyard party, bring it out right before people begin to eat. Then put it back in the refrigerator as soon as possible.

How Much Potato Salad Per Person?

When you’re planning to serve potato salad, calculate 1/4 to 1/3 of a pound per person. If there are small children, they’ll be on the side of the smaller amount. The opposite is true of teenagers and large adults.

How Long Does Leftover Potato Salad Last?

Since most of us don’t want to run out of potato salad, we’re likely to have some left after the meal. You can store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days.

Surprising Way to Serve Mama’s Potato Salad

When we lived in Florida, we used to go to the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks. Not only is this a fun place for tourists to visit, but also many locals enjoy hanging out there.

In addition to the great shops and delightful music in this Greek community, the food is wonderful. We love all of the restaurants there–especially the ones with delicious pastries. We also enjoy the music. If you go to Tarpon Springs, check to see if they’re having one of their street festival events and plan around one of them. One of our favorite restaurants puts a scoop of potato salad under the Greek salad. It’s like finding a buried treasure beneath the vegetables.

So when I make Mediterranean salads, I often bury a little potato salad under the lettuce if I have some left over.

More Delicious Side Dish Recipes

If you’re looking for some easy but delicious side dish recipes, try this squash casserole or this green bean casserole with a little something extra.

Some salads you’ll enjoy are this creamy macaroni salad and this tomato cucumber corn salad. This bacon pea salad from Everyday Eileen is also delicious and easy to make for a lot of people. All of these dishes are ideal for either a family dinner or a potluck.

Favorite Main Dishes

Potato salad is a natural side for almost any chicken dish, including this Crock Pot garlic chicken. It adds balance with a creamy texture and a slightly sweet flavor.

Another chicken dish we enjoy having potato salad with is this lemon pepper chicken. The burst of flavor with every bite makes this one addictive!

My mother used to make these salmon cakes at least a couple of times per month. She also called them salmon patties and salmon croquettes. But no matter what she called them, they were delicious, and I always looked forward to having them.

This yummy pork tenderloin is another food that’s good with potato salad. You can slice it or shred it, so it’s extremely versatile. It also makes wonderful leftovers!

These yummy grilled pork chops practically scream for a side of potato salad. I used my George Foreman grill, but you can use an outdoor grill if you prefer.

Please feel free to share!