The difference between Russian Potato Salad and regular potato salad is that the regular potato salad contains fewer vegetables than Russian Potato Salad and is often limited to a bit of diced pickles, celery and diced onion.
Regular potato salad is often also free of meat and is also chunkier than Russian Potato Salad.
Russian Potato Salad is also known as Olivier Salad and is a hearty, creamy combination of finely cubed ingredients.
Unlike regular potato salad, the Russian Potato Salad is a rich, meal like dish that is loaded with diced meats, peas and carrots.
Russian Potato Salad is traditionally made with diced ham, bologna or specialty sausage like Doktorskaya, and mixed with sweet green peas, carrots, hard boiled eggs and dill pickles.
Regular, American style potato salad is often vegetarian without any meat and is more vegetable forward, and combines with onion, celery and sometimes relish.
All the ingredients in Russian Potato Salad are painstakingly diced to the exact size of a green pea, which makes it very uniform.
The ingredients in regular potato salad is often roughly chopped, leaving larger, distinct chunks of potato and celery.
Russian potato salad is also held together almost exclusively using rich mayonnaise, which is sometimes balanced with a splash of pickle brine or a touch of sour cream.
Regular potato salad, uses varying dressings, which can be mustard heavy, mayonnaise based or even vinegar and oil based.
Russian potato salad is also considered to be a festive centerpiece and is an essential staple for holiday spreads and New Year's Eve celebrations in Slavic and Eastern European cultures.
And regular potato salad is often served as a casual side dish for summer picnic, potlucks or backyard barbecues.