French Potato Salad- a piquant mayonnaise-free by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

      

May 31, 2021

 There are many variations of a non-mayo-based potato salad. My family made a ‘German’ version that incorporated crumbled bacon and used the rendered bacon fat as an integral part of the dressing.

Christopher Kimball and his merry gang of cooks at Milk Street Kitchen make an ‘Austrian’ version with vinegar, chicken stock and caraway seeds. And I have dubbed this version ‘French’ because it is similar in flavor to the classic ‘Salade Niçoise’; which typically contains tuna, haricots verts (French, thin green beans) and hard-cooked eggs.

This ‘French’ Potato Salad is light, bright and crunchy with a slight acidic or piquant tang. And without the mayonnaise coating it is sure to be a safe part of a cook-out buffet.

A note about potatoes. Most mayo-based potato salads use a red bliss or new potato. These are known as ‘waxy’ potatoes. They keep their firmness when cooked. I made this potato salad with Yukon Gold potatoes which are starchier than a red potato but not quite as starchy as an Idaho potato. I prefer the creamier texture. Excellent served with any grilled meat or fish: chicken, pork, beef or shrimp for example. This recipe makes a big batch, enough for sharing!

  • Prep: 1 hrs
  • Cook: 1 hrs
  • Yields: 10-12 servings

Ingredients

4-pounds Yukon gold potatoes, medium-in-size

8 ounces (1/2 pound) ‘haricots verts’ (French ‘skinny’ green beans)

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (from a half standard bunch of parsley), washed, dried & chopped

1⁄2 medium-sized red onion, very finely diced

1⁄4 cup finely diced celery, from inner tender stalks, about 1 stalk

4-5 tablespoons mild white wine vinegar, divided

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (pilus more as needed)

4 tablespoons neutral vegetable or grapeseed oil

1 tablespoon grainy French mustard (Dijon mustard is OK, it is just a bit sharper in flavor so use half the amount)

1 tiny, tiny, tiny pinch dried thyme leaves

1 tablespoon chopped chives, fresh or dried

1⁄4 cup reserved potato-cooking-water

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Optional: 1⁄4 cup radishes that have been cut into small chunks and/or 1 tablespoon chopped capers (rinse and pat-dry first)

Directions

Begin by trimming the ends of the green beans. Leave the ‘pointy’ ends and snap or cut off the other end. Rinse the beans under cold, running water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1-2 tablespoons of kosher salt and keep at a rolling boil and add the green beans. Cook for about 3 minutes. When done, drain the pot at the sink into a strainer. Lay the beans on a towel-lined sheet pan to cool. (Don’t rinse them under cold water; it’s a small amount, so let them cool naturally. The moisture will evaporate leaving the surface dry enough to absorb the dressing later on.)

Rinse out the pot, fill again with cold water and put the pot back on the stove. Don’t turn it on yet as we are going to cook the potatoes starting in cold, not boiling water.

Peel the potatoes and cut into 2-3-inch chunks OR 1⁄2-inch slices. Rinse them and add them to the pot already on the stove. It’s important to cut the potatoes into equal-size chunks/pieces or slices so they cook evenly.

Bring the pot with the potatoes to a gentle simmer. Add 1-2 tablespoons kosher salt and stir the potatoes. Keep the pot at a gentle simmer. Boiling them hard will cause disintegration of the potatoes.

Keep checking them. The cooking time will depend on the size of the potato pieces. When easily pierced with the point of a knife they are ready.

DON’T DUMP THE POTATOES INTO A STRAINER AT THE SINK! This will cause the potatoes to fall apart. Instead, have a towel lined sheet pan at the ready and with a slotted spoon or strainer scoop out the potatoes onto this pan to cool.

Don’t forget to reserve a 1⁄4 cup of the cooking broth. Set aside.

Dice the parsley and the celery and set aside. Very, very finely mince the red onion and put into a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons cold water along with a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes and the minced onion will turn pinkish and become slightly ‘pickled’.

Set aside.

Make the dressing/vinaigrette

Drain the minced red onions. Press with the back of a spoon to remove as much liquid as possible from the onions. Add to a new bowl. Add the grainy mustard, the chives, the tiny tiny pinch of thyme leaves, the diced celery, and 3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar. Add two pinches of salt and whisk to combine all. In a small pitcher, combine both oils. Slowly drizzle the oil, bit-by-bit into the vinegar mixture. Whisk continuously to form an emulsion. Continue adding all the oil. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt or more acid (vinegar). Slowly add 1 or 2 tablespoons of the potato cooking water, this will help emulsify the dressing. Taste again. Add fresh ground black pepper and a tablespoon of chopped parsley.

Finish the salad

Remove the towel from beneath the potatoes, leaving the potatoes on the pan. Drizzle the dressing spoon-by-spoon over the potatoes. You may or may not need all of it. Use two spoons (or gloved hands) and mix the potatoes and the dressing together. Be gentle to keep the potatoes from breaking apart. Add the cooked green beans with a bit more dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add the rest of the parsley. Add the optional radishes and or capers and thoroughly mix into the potatoes.

To serve: Spoon the potatoes into the serving dish you will be using.

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