Peel and cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes—about 4 cups total. I learned this by accident: smaller cubes absorb dressing better than huge chunks that stay dense in the center. Drop them into salted boiling water and cook until a fork pierces them easily, roughly 12-15 minutes, then drain completely and transfer to a large bowl while still warm.

Pour 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil directly over the warm potatoes—this step matters more than most cooks realize. The warm starch absorbs these flavors completely, which is why cold potato salad made with cold potatoes tastes flat. Stir gently and let this sit for 3 minutes, allowing the potatoes to drink in every bit of acid and richness.

Hard-boil 3 eggs while the potatoes cook—I place them in a separate pot of cold water, bring it to a boil, then remove from heat and let them sit 8 minutes before dunking into ice water. Once cool, peel and chop them into bite-sized pieces. Chopped eggs disappear into every spoonful of your 4th of july potato salad family recipe instead of appearing as obvious chunks.

Combine 1 cup mayo, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, 1/2 cup pickle relish, 1/2 cup diced celery, 1/4 cup red onion, and 1/4 cup fresh parsley in a separate bowl. I taste this dressing before adding it to potatoes because mayo brands vary slightly in saltiness. Whisk these together until the relish distributes evenly, then gently fold this entire mixture into the warm potatoes along with the chopped eggs.

Fold in 1/2 cup cheddar cheese cubes last—this prevents them from breaking apart or melting into the dressing. Add 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper, then taste immediately. This matters because potatoes absorb salt differently depending on where they came from, and adjusting now is easier than fixing an overly salty batch hours later.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving—the flavors marry together during this resting time. I've made this patriotic potato salad kids love by chilling it fully, which also means you can prep it the morning of a cookout and forget about it until serving time arrives.