American Potato Salad I
Serves 6 Time 1 hour Difficulty 2/5 Ingredients 11 Steps 11
Potato salad is able to trace its origins to Germany before the turn of the 17th century, where it first became popular to use vinegar and spices on the potato as a side to a meal. The salad has a bite to it and is served warm as often as not.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (3–4 ea.) medium russet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 medium rib of celery
- ¾ teaspoon celery seed
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ¾ teaspoon powdered mustard
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
Steps
- Peel potatoes. Cut into ¾ inch cubes.
- Cover potatoes with an inch of water in large saucepan. Bring to boil.
- Add 1 tablespoon salt. Reduce heat to medium.
- Simmer about 8 minutes, stirring gently once or twice, until tender. Taste a piece; do not overcook.
- Drain. Place in large bowl.
- Toss gently with vinegar using rubber spatula.
- Cool potatoes to no more than barely warm.
- Chop celery fine.
- Stir together celery, celery seeds, mayonnaise, dry mustard, onion, parsley, pepper and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Fold dressing mix gently into potatoes.
- Cover. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, until thoroughly chilled.
Notes from the original
- You may have to substitute celery salt for the celery seeds, but then leave out the salt in the dressing.
- Do not mix too much once the potatoes are in, or they will break down.
- A couple of hard-boiled eggs, diced about ¼ inch may be added when the final mix is made.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:American Potato Salad I” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2026-04-12, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.