Unlike traditional potato salad, French potato salad is light and refreshing, made with minimalist ingredients and a healthy dose of fresh herbs. And the best part? It’s naturally vegan. No picnic, barbecue or potluck menu is complete without this easy French potato salad.
What Is French Potato Salad?
Potato salad has mostly likely originated in Germany, from where it spread throughout Europe and later to European colonies. While traditional German potato salad often includes a few extra ingredients, such as bacon and beef broth, and is typically eaten warm, it doesn’t include mayonnaise. The creamy potato salad, with added mayo, is more common in the English speaking parts of the world.
French potato salad is a vinegar and herb-based dish that’s much lighter than the creamy American version. While ingredients can vary slightly, they usually include some combination of potatoes, vinegar, olive oil, onion, and fresh herbs. This makes French potato salad accidentally:
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
How to Make French Potato Salad
Preparing the Potatoes
Pick the right potatoes and boil them whole. Once they cool down, peel and dice them.
What Kind of Potatoes Are Best for Potato Salad?
This is a matter of personal preference, but knowing how a certain type of potato behaves when cooked can help you choose the right one for you. Waxy potatoes, such as Yellow Finn, Yukon Gold and red potatoes hold their shape perfectly when they’re cooked and keep their firm texture in the salad.
On the other hand, potatoes with a starchier texture, such as Russet or Idaho potatoes, tend to break down during cooking, but they also tend to soak up the dressing like a sponge, resulting in a creamier potato salad.
Should I Leave the Skin on for Potato Salad?
Leaving the skin on adds a little extra colour and texture to your salad. I tend to peel the potatoes unless I’m cooking with new potatoes that have a very delicate skin. In this case, I simply scrub them thoroughly with a vegetable brush before cooking them.
Is It Better to Boil Potatoes Whole or Cut Up?
The easiest way to make potato salad is to boil the potatoes whole, then peel them while still warm and cut them into bite-sized chunks.
How Long Should I Boil the Potatoes?
This depends on the size of the potatoes, but whole medium sized potatoes will generally take 25 – 30 minutes to cook. To check if they’re done, pierce the potatoes with the tip of a knife or a fork to see how much resistance there is. You should be able to pierce the potato with ease once it’s cooked.
PRO TIP: It’s important to use cold water instead of boiled. If you boil the water first, the outside of the potato will cook faster than the inside, resulting in an uneven texture.
Tossing the Ingredients
Prepare the dressing by mixing together the onion, oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper, as well as fresh dill and parsley if using. Adjust the seasonings and then coat the potatoes with the dressing.
Serving the Salad
Refrigerate the salad until perfectly cool before serving.
Can I Make Potato Salad the Day Before?
Yes, this recipe works great if you’re planning to serve the salad on a busy day and want to get as much done as possible the day before. To make sure the salad is as fresh as possible, prepare the potatoes and the dressing separately.
Cook whole potatoes and let them cool in the fridge with the skin on. In a separate bowl, mix all the ingredients for the dressing and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Toss them together right before serving.
How Long Does It Keep?
Unlike creamy potato salads that are made with mayonnaise, this simple French potato salad can last in the fridge for up to three days. You can also leave it at room temperature for up to a day, but it tastes best when properly chilled.
How Many Calories Are in French Potato Salad?
One serving of this French potato salad has approximately 250 calories, 5 grams of protein, 7 grams of fat and 43 grams of carbs. It’s also high in vitamin C, fibre, vitamin A and calcium.
More Vegan Salad Recipes
Click here for a complete listing of easy vegan salads.
French Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450g) potatoes (Yukon Gold and red potatoes are best)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 (½) small red onion, chopped or sliced
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Dash of black pepper
- ¼ cup (6g) fresh dill, finely chopped (optional)
- ¼ cup (8g) fresh coriander, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Drop whole, unpeeled potatoes into a large pot of salted water, bring it to a boil and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are just cooked through. You can check doneness by piercing the potatoes with a fork or the tip of a knife. If there is little to no resistance, they're cooked. Drain in a colander and place a towel over the potatoes to allow them to steam for 10 more minutes.
- As soon as you can handle them, peel the potatoes, cut them into 1 inch cubes and place in a medium serving bowl. Let them cool in the fridge.
- Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. Chop or slice the onion (I like to finely chop half of it and slice the other half for extra texture), and mix it with vinegar, oil, Dijon mustard and black pepper.
- Toss the potatoes with the dressing. Add the dill and coriander, if using, and toss. Serve cool or at room temperature.
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