Everyone knows that grandma makes the best potato salad. No matter how you try, you can’t make yours quite as good. Well, this just-like-grandma’s potato salad is pretty darned close. I certainly had no problem devouring a big heaping helping of it. Or two. Yeah, it might look like grandma went through a lot of trouble, but this salad is actually pretty easy to make and boy, is it every delicious.

One thing that really makes just-like-grandma’s potato salad so good is the mayonnaise. You can’t use just anything, in my opinion. No, for that over-the-top great salad you want the best and for me that’s Blue Plate. I can’t get it in the stores here, so I buy it online. And I wait anxiously for it to arrive each month (Amazon subscribe and save is awesome!).
Most folks boil or bake their potatoes for potato salad. I prefer to steam mine in a steam basket. The potatoes keep their shape that way. It doesn’t really matter so much for the taste, but I think they look just a bit better and they hold up better, longer.
I recently discovered Blue Plate mayonnaise, which I think is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.
Also try my sweet and sassy potato salad.
Just-Like-Grandma’s Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 5 pounds red potatoes
- Kosher salt to taste
- ⅓ cup sweet pickle relish
- ¼ cup yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika plus more for garnish. Regular paprika is great too.
- 6 large eggs hard-boiled, chopped
- 2 tablespoons red onion diced
- 2 tablespoons green bell pepper diced
- 1 ½ cups mayonnaise you might need more
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes in a heavily-salted pot of gently boiling water until tender. NOTE: I prefer to steam my potatoes so the skins stay intact.
- Drain and let cool enough to handle then cut into 1/2" cubes.
- In a large bowl, combine the relish, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, eggs, onion, bell pepper, 1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise and salt and pepper, to taste. If the mixture is too dry add more mayonnaise and stir.
- Add the potatoes and stir gently to coat.
- Serve sprinkled with additional paprika.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.