Ingredients (~12 servings)
- ~4 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped small
- 1 1/4 cups dill pickles, chopped small
- 8 large hard boiled eggs, chopped
- 1/2 cup sweet relish
- 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup pickle juice
- 1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
- 2 tsp celery seed
- Salt and black pepper
Boil the Potatoes
Start by washing and scrubbing the potatoes thoroughly. You can peel them if you want a smoother texture, but leaving the skins on Yukon golds adds a nice rustic texture and saves time. Cut them into ~1 inch chunks; try to keep them relatively uniform so they cook at the same speed.
Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water by about an inch. Add a heavy pinch of salt to the water.
Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for ~15 minutes or until they are fork-tender.
The knife should slide in and out with zero resistance, but the potato shouldn’t fall apart.
Steam Dry the Potatoes
This step is often overlooked but it prevents watery potato salad.
Drain the potatoes in a colander and immediately spread them out on a baking sheet lined with paper towels or a wire rack.
Allow them to sit for ~15-20 minutes. You want the steam to escape and the surface moisture to evaporate. This helps the dressing cling to the potato rather than sliding off.
Allow them to cool down close to room temperature before dressing them; if they are too hot, the mayonnaise will separate and become oily.
Make the Dressing and Prep Ingredients
While the potatoes cool, chop your onion, celery, pickles, and eggs.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, apple cider vinegar, pickle juice, celery seed, and fresh dill.
Whisk until smooth. Season this mixture with a little black pepper. I usually hold off on extra salt here until I mix it with the potatoes, as the pickles and pickle juice bring a lot of sodium.
Combine and Chill
In a large bowl, add the cooled potatoes, chopped vegetables, eggs, and the dressing.
Gently toss everything together. Use a rubber spatula and fold from the bottom up to avoid mashing the potatoes into a paste.
Taste a piece of potato with the dressing. Add salt and pepper here if needed.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Potato salad needs this time for the flavors to meld and for the potatoes to absorb some of that pickle brine. It will taste significantly better after a few hours in the fridge than it does right now.
Dill Pickle Potato Salad
Ingredients
Ingredients (~12 servings)
- ~4 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 small red onion finely chopped
- 3 celery stalks chopped small
- 1 1/4 cups dill pickles chopped small
- 8 large hard boiled eggs chopped
- 1/2 cup sweet relish
- 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup pickle juice
- 1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tbsp fresh dill finely chopped
- 2 tsp celery seed
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Wash and cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks.
- Place potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold salted water by 1 inch, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to simmer and cook 15 minutes until fork-tender.
- Drain potatoes and spread on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
- Let potatoes steam dry for 15-20 minutes until cooled to room temperature.
- While potatoes cool, chop onion, celery, pickles, and eggs.
- Whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, pickle juice, celery seed, dill, and black pepper.
- In a large bowl, gently fold together cooled potatoes, chopped vegetables, eggs, sweet relish, and dressing.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
