French-style Potato Salad (no mayo) with Lemon and Garlic
The potato salad I grew up on in Canada was made with boiled eggs and nearly drowned in a creamy sour cream and mayonnaise dressing. To my Mom’s credit, she cut all that richness with loads of sliced radishes and green onions. Some of my best food memories are her packed picnics at the lake: cold fried chicken and potato salad. That salad is—sorry—not what this recipe is about (I’ll post it when I’m feeling decadent). Out of adult necessity for a lighter diet, I started looking for a healthy potato salad recipe and landed on the French-style version: warm potatoes dressed in vinaigrette instead of mayo.
Equipment
- Digital scales
- Large pot
- Large sealable container with lid
- Microplane (optional)
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg ‘chat’ potatoes
- 2 sprigs fresh mint
- 1 large lemon
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
Make ahead note:
- This French-style potato salad (no mayo) with lemon and garlic needs at least 6 hours in the fridge (overnight is ideal), so plan to make it the day before you want to serve it.
Prepare the lemon and garlic vinaigrette:
- Crush 1 large garlic clove into a small bowl.
- Zest 1 large lemon into the bowl, then add 1 tablespoon sea salt, 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper, and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice and whisk until the mixture is well combined.
- Drizzle in extra virgin olive oil, whisking as you go, until you have roughly equal parts lemon juice and olive oil and the vinaigrette looks slightly thickened.
- Set aside until the potatoes are cooked.
Cook the potatoes:
- Wash 1.5kg chat potatoes but do not peel them.
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a gentle boil, then add the potatoes and 2 sprigs fresh mint. Boil for at least 5 minutes before you start checking.
- The potatoes are ready when a fork or skewer slides through with essentially no resistance.
- Start checking the smaller potatoes first and remove them as they’re done, then keep cooking the larger ones until tender.
Dress the potatoes hot:
- Have a large sealable container ready. As the potatoes finish cooking, transfer them straight into the container.
- Once the last potato is in, pour over the vinaigrette and gently toss while the potatoes are still hot. Alternatively, seal the container and turn it over a couple of times to coat evenly.
- If you want maximum absorption, cut the hot potatoes into large chunks or thick slices as they go into the container; if you prefer the look of whole baby potatoes, leave them whole.
Refrigerate overnight and serve:
- Refrigerate the potato salad for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight, to let the lemon and garlic vinaigrette soak in properly.
- Before serving, toss gently again, then finish with a little extra coarsely ground black pepper and a simple garnish of your choice (society garlic flowers, snipped chives, or finely sliced green onion all work well).
Just before you cook with abandon…
Tablespoon sizes: My tablespoon measures are 15ml (not the larger 20ml Australian tablespoon).
Make ahead: This French-style potato salad is best made the day before you want to serve it. It needs at least 6 hours in the fridge (overnight is ideal) so the lemon and garlic vinaigrette can properly soak into the potatoes.
Why you dress the potatoes while they’re hot: The vinaigrette isn’t meant to taste like a typical lettuce salad dressing. You’re aiming for roughly equal lemon juice to extra virgin olive oil, and for it to taste very salty and well peppered at first. Those flavours mellow as the hot potatoes absorb the dressing.
Whole potatoes vs cutting them up: I like the look of whole baby potatoes in the finished salad, but cutting the hot potatoes into large chunks or thick slices helps the vinaigrette absorb more efficiently. There’s no wrong choice here—just decide whether you’re chasing aesthetics or maximum flavour soak.
What ‘chat’ potatoes mean in Australia: ‘Chat’ potatoes aren’t a single variety. It’s the Australian term for what other countries call ‘baby’ potatoes—small potatoes that can be any number of varieties. Because the skins are thin, I leave them on.
Why the mint goes in the boiling water: The mint is there for a subtle background note. It perfumes the potatoes as they cook, without turning the finished salad into a minty potato situation. Discard the sprigs once the potatoes are cooked.
Leftovers: This is one of those potato salads that seems to improve as it sits. If you have leftovers, they’re usually even better the next day.