This French potato salad recipe is the perfect accompaniment to your summer meals. Bring this French style potato salad to the next potluck, or just serve it as a side dish at your next bbq; either way, you and everyone else are going to love it!
French Potato Salad No Mayo
This authentic French potato salad recipe remains true to its roots by using a Dijon vinaigrette rather than mayonnaise.
French potato salad dressing is usually different than classic American dressing in that way, and it’s definitely not as heavy.
Similar to the Ina Garten French potato salad, this recipe relies on a simple approach of using lots of fresh herbs and a vinaigrette to dress the potatoes.
French Style Potato Salad
Unlike the Ina French potato salad, this recipe utilizes tarragon and chives for the flavor rather than dill and basil.
I find that the tarragon provides a more authentic French flavor to this salad, making it more of a French style rather than any other type of potato salad. After all, tarragon is a favorite French herb, and for some reason, highly underused in American cooking.
I don’t know why that is, I mean, can anyone say béarnaise sauce?? Yum!!! But I digress. The tarragon in this recipe really gives the potato salad fabulous flavor.
How far ahead can potato salad be made?
Typical potato salad can be made ahead of time, and this French potato salad recipe is no exception. I would say that a maximum of 3 days would be as far ahead as you should go in terms of preparing the salad in advance.
Cooked potatoes just don’t taste that great after being in the fridge longer than that.My personal preference is to make this potato salad one day in advance. This gives the salad enough time for all the flavors to meld, yet the potatoes still taste yummy and fresh.
You’ll definitely want to be sure to serve this French potato salad warm or at room temperature. If you’ve refrigerated the potato salad (in the instance of making it ahead), then leave it out on the counter ahead of time so that it can come to room temperature before serving.
Best French Potato Salad Recipe
One of the reasons I think this French potato salad is the best one yet is because it’s not only incredibly delicious, but it’s also so easy to make.
If you use thin-skinned potatoes like I instruct here, then you won’t have to peel your potatoes (one of my least favorite things to do!).
The vinaigrette is also so easy to whip up. A little bit of shallots, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, Dijon, salt and pepper get whisked together to create an incredible dressing that makes the tender potatoes absolutely heavenly.
French Potato Salad with Egg
If you wanted to turn this into a bit of a Parisian potato salad, you can do that by potentially adding some hardboiled eggs into the mix! That would turn this dish into a full-fledged meal rather than a side dish.
It just doesn’t get more French than that!
Whether you make this as a side or main dish, it’s sure to be a favorite among your family and friends.
French Potato Salad Recipe
Yield: 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Rest Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
An authentic French potato salad recipe using fresh herbs and a Dijon vinaigrette to create an incredibly flavorful medley, perfect as a side dish for any summer gathering.
Ingredients
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE
- 1/3 a shallot, finely diced
- 1 large clove of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- freshly ground salt and pepper
FOR THE POTATOES
- 2 lbs. thin-skinned potatoes (I prefer fingerling and purple potatoes)
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
- freshly ground salt and pepper
Instructions
- First, create the vinaigrette. To a measuring cup, add the olive oil, vinegar, dijon, salt, pepper, diced shallot and minced garlic. Whisk everything together with a fork until blended well. Let this rest while you continue with the rest of the recipe.
- Rinse the potatoes under water, then cut them into quarters. For the fingerling potatoes which tend to be longer in length, cut them into thirds before cutting them further down in half to create quarter-type pieces like you do with the round purple potatoes.
- Dump all the cut potatoes into a large pot and cover with enough water so that all the potatoes are immersed. Add a tablespoon of kosher salt and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once the potatoes are boiling, lower the heat to medium low so that they are just simmering and keep an eye on them for 10 minutes. You want to pull them off the heat when a fork or knife easily pierces through the center. They shouldn't fall apart or be mushy, however, so be sure not to overcook them. When they're ready, drain them in a large basket.
- Transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl. Give the vinaigrette a whisk again before pouring it all over the potatoes. You can strain the vinaigrette with a sieve if you want, but it's not necessary. Add the fresh herbs and another quick grind of salt and pepper before using a large spoon to gently toss the potatoes in the dressing.
- Let the potatoes rest in the bowl for at least 1 hour before serving. They should be served at room temperature or slightly warm. If you need to refrigerate them overnight, be sure to let them come to room temperature before serving the next day.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 307Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 767mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g
