French Potato Salad for Two

The French approach to potato salad is built on restraint; no mayonnaise, no eggs, no heavy dressing that masks what the potato actually tastes like. What you get instead is something lighter and brighter, where the potato is the point rather than the vehicle for a creamy sauce. It also happens to be considerably easier to make, which is never a bad thing.

This particular version uses capers and dill pickles for brine, celery for crunch, parsley for freshness, and a mustard-garlic vinaigrette that holds it all together. It’s the kind of salad that improves as it sits. Make it an hour ahead if you can, and the flavors will be more settled and more interesting by the time it reaches the table.

Why This Works

The key is dressing the potatoes while they’re still warm. Warm potatoes are porous, they absorb the vinaigrette rather than just being coated in it, which means every bite tastes of the dressing rather than just the surface. The capers and pickles add brine and texture that mayonnaise-based salads get from the mayo itself, and the mustard in the vinaigrette emulsifies the oil and vinegar into something that actually clings to the potato rather than pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

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Key Ingredients in This Recipe

You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.

• Small potatoes – I used red potatoes and yellow potatoes and didn’t peel them, as this add some extra color. This way they don’t easily break apart while adding color and fiber to your salad.
• Celery – this is the crunch of the salad.
• Capers – add tang and saltiness.
• Pickles – I used dill pickles, but you can use sweet pickles, cornichons etc.
• Parsley
• Olive oil & vinegar – white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
• Garlic – smashed clove or garlic paste.
• Mustard – Dijon mustard or whole grain mustard.

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How to Make the French Potato Salad

As most salads, this French potato salad is easy to make. It is all about cleaning and cutting ingredients, making a vinaigrette and mix it all together.

• Step 1 – Wash the potatoes, but do not peel them. Add potatoes to a pot of water (with salt) and cook the potatoes until they are fork tender. Depending on the size, this will take about 5-7 minutes. Drain and allow them to cool. Then cut in half or quarters, again depending on the size.
• Step 2 – Chop the celery, pickles and parsley.
• Step 3 – Transfer potatoes, celery, pickles, capers, and parsley to a bowl.
• Step 4 – Mix the vinaigrette by mixing mustard, garlic, vinegar, salt & pepper. You can add some honey or maple syrup if it is too tangy for you.
• Step 5 – Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and mix by folding vinaigrette into the salad, until all is covered by vinaigrette. Do no mix longer than necessary.

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