Amish potato salad is the sweet-and-tangy kind: diced russet potatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, celery, onion and sweet pickle relish folded into a creamy dressing of mayonnaise, sugar, apple cider vinegar and yellow mustard. It chills for at least an hour before serving and feeds 6.
How to make it: Boil the diced potatoes until fork-tender, about 10 to 15 minutes, and hard-boil the eggs. Stir the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper together in a big bowl, fold in the potatoes, eggs, celery, onion and relish, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Why You’ll Love It
- Sweet and tangy: sugar and cider vinegar balance the creamy mayonnaise.
- Make-ahead: it needs time in the fridge, so it’s ready when you are.
- Pantry ingredients: potatoes, eggs, celery, onion, relish and a simple dressing.
- Made for cookouts: it’s a natural next to barbecue chicken, burgers or ham and beans.
What’s the Difference Between Potato Salad and Amish Potato Salad?
It comes down to the dressing. Amish potato salad uses mayonnaise sweetened with sugar and sharpened with vinegar and plain yellow mustard, so it tastes sweet and tangy at the same time. Sweet pickle relish adds to that, along with celery, onion and plenty of diced hard-boiled egg.
A classic potato salad usually leans savory, with no sugar, a sharper mustard such as Dijon, and dill pickles or fresh herbs.
How Much Sugar?
This recipe uses 1/4 cup of sugar for 6 servings, which gives a gentle sweetness. Amish-style recipes range from a couple of tablespoons up to 1/2 cup, so taste the dressing before you add the potatoes and adjust it to suit you.
Ingredient Notes
Russet potatoes: 2 pounds, peeled and diced. Yukon gold potatoes work too.
Eggs: 4 large eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and diced.
Dressing: 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. White or rice vinegar can replace the cider vinegar.
Celery and onion: 4 stalks of celery and 1/2 small onion, both finely diced.
Relish: 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish. Dill relish works if you want it less sweet.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 4 large eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and diced
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 stalks celery, finely diced
- 1/2 small onion, finely diced
- 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish (dill pickle relish also works)
How to Make Amish Potato Salad
1. Boil the potatoes. Put the diced potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Cook the eggs. Put the eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cover the pan, turn off the heat and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 10 minutes. Move them to a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes, then peel and dice.
3. Mix the dressing. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sugar, apple cider vinegar, yellow mustard, salt and pepper.
4. Fold it together. Stir the potatoes, eggs, celery, onion and sweet pickle relish into the dressing until coated.
5. Chill. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Keep leftovers cold and refrigerated.
Tips for the Best Amish Potato Salad
- Salt the water. A good spoonful of salt in the potato water seasons the potatoes from the inside.
- Stop at fork-tender. The potatoes are ready when a fork slides in easily; past that, they break apart when you stir.
- Cool the potatoes before mixing. Rinse them under cold water, or spread them on a baking sheet to cool and dry.
- Stir the sugar into the dressing first. Mixing the dressing on its own lets the sugar blend in before the potatoes go in.
- Give it time. At least 1 hour in the fridge; a full day lets the flavors come together even more.
Variations
- Yukon gold potatoes in place of russets.
- White or rice vinegar in place of cider vinegar.
- Dill relish for a less sweet salad.
- More egg: use 5 eggs instead of 4.
- Sweeter: go up to 1/2 cup of sugar.
Storage & Food Safety
Refrigerator: Keep it covered in the refrigerator at 40°F or below and eat it within 3 to 4 days. Divide a big batch into shallow containers so it chills quickly.
At a picnic or buffet: Don’t leave it out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour when it’s over 90°F outside. Set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice to keep it cold, and throw out any salad that has sat out longer.
Freezing: Don’t freeze it. Mayonnaise separates and looks curdled after thawing.
What to Serve With It
It’s a cookout side: serve it with baked barbecue chicken thighs with onions, slow cooker Amish beef sloppy joes or crock pot ham and beans.
More cold salads: pasta salad, layered pasta salad and marinated cauliflower salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between potato salad and Amish potato salad?
Amish potato salad has a sweet-and-tangy dressing made with sugar, vinegar and yellow mustard, plus sweet pickle relish. A classic potato salad is usually savory with no sugar.
What are the ingredients in Amish potato salad?
Russet potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, sugar, apple cider vinegar, yellow mustard, salt, pepper, celery, onion and sweet pickle relish.
What is the one ingredient that makes potato salad taste better?
In this one, it’s the sugar in the dressing, balanced by the cider vinegar. Salting the potato water helps too.
How long does it need to chill?
At least 1 hour. Up to a full day lets the flavors develop more.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Make it the day before and keep it covered in the refrigerator.
How long does it keep?
3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Final Notes
Cook the potatoes just until tender, cool them before mixing and give the salad time in the fridge. If you try it with dill relish, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Amish Potato Salad
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes peeled and diced
- 4 large eggs hard-boiled, peeled and diced
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 stalks celery finely diced
- 1/2 small onion finely diced
- 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish dill pickle relish also works
Instructions
- Put the diced potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain and set aside.
- Put the eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cover the pan, turn off the heat and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 10 minutes. Move them to a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes, then peel and dice.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sugar, apple cider vinegar, yellow mustard, salt and pepper.
- Stir the potatoes, eggs, celery, onion and sweet pickle relish into the dressing until coated.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Keep leftovers cold and refrigerated.
Notes
Nutrition
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