Try this Delicious French Potato Salad with a French flare that is a lighter version! Not the normal heavy mayonnaise style. The salad has a healthy dose of fresh herbs and tossed in a Lemon Dijon mustard vinaigrette.
All About The Salad
Delicious French Potato Salad is a wonderful salad that I love. I’ve made this potato salad for family BBQs, picnics, and for no occasion at all, and it’s always yummy. Serve it alongside some roast chicken, ribs, deli sandwiches, you name it.
At this time, one of the great things about my town is the local farmers’ market during the summer. Every Saturday morning, local farmers and merchants would set up their booths in the many downtown areas, plus surrounding areas. They are selling anything and everything from fresh local produce to baked goods to seafood to plants and herbs. It’s a great way to get good quality vegetables and other groceries and support our local farmers and small businesses.
Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s still nice to browse from tent to tent and admire the beautiful imperfections of nature displayed in wooden crates. Consequently, it’s a good feeling to know that what you’re buying is from local farmers. The produce has little to no pesticides and didn’t travel a great distance just so you can buy it. Good for your wallet and the environment!
The Recipe
This Provencal Potato Salad recipe is from Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. It builds on a classic French potato salad by adding the rich flavors of ingredients from the Provence region of France. The salad had an unexpectedly fresh and clean taste; a pleasant sour undertone that went surprisingly well with the eggs and potatoes. The herbs are amazing and the addition of the wine is interesting and elegant.
When starting the potatoes, you will boil them until tender. Next, after the potatoes are cooked, you have creamy warm potatoes that need to be drained and slightly cooled. While still warm, toss the potatoes with white wine and the chicken stock. The liquid soaks beautifully into the potatoes, after which, the potatoes are then topped and tossed with an herb spiked-lemony vinaigrette.
However, there are two versions of this recipe; first, you have a wonderful potato salad that can stand on its own; but with the additional ingredients, the salad is transformed into a true Provencal Potato Salad that can be eaten for dinner.
The haricots verts, red and white potatoes, cherry tomatoes, capers, and eggs all complemented each other well. The homemade vinaigrette, which included Dijon mustards, olive oil, scallions, balsamic vinegar, and seasonings provided a rich tanginess that brought the entire dish together as a cohesive blend of subtle flavors and textures.
Now it’s time to make the yummy Lemon and Dijon Vinaigrette. It is very easy. Measure all your ingredients out and add to a mixing bowl. Start with the French Champagne vinegar, lemon juice, Grainy, and Regular Dijon mustards, ½ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper and slowly whisk in the Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (my favorite is from Honger Farms out of Georgia) to make an emulsion. Here is the link for the oils that I carry in my booth at The Marketplace on Locust!! http://hongarfarms.com/index.php
Delicious French Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 Lbs. Red New Potatoes – small
- 2 Tbsp. Dry White WIne
- 2 Tbsp. Chicken Stock
- 3 Tbsp. Champagne Vinegar
- Juice of ½ Lemon
- 1/2 tsp. Dijon and Grainy Mustard
- 2 tsp. Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 10 Tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 C. Green Onion – minced white and green parts
- 2 Tbsp. Fresh Dill – minced
- 2 Tbsp. Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley – minced
- 2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil – cut into thin strips or a chiffonade
Additional Vegetables – Optional
- ½ lb. Haricot Verts – stems removed and lighly blanched
- 1/2 cup Capers
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes – mulit-colored if avaaible
- 1/2 cup Small Red onion – finely diced
- 3 Eggs Eggs – hard boiled – peeled and cut into quarters
- 1/2 cup Kalamata Black Olives – pitted
- 3 Anchovy Filets – chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Drop the potatoes into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until they are just cooked through. Drain in a colander
- Let cool for about 10 minutes. As soon as they can be handled, cut in half or in quarters depending on the size. Place in a large bowl. Toss gently with the wine and chicken stock. Allow the liquids to soak into the warm potatoes.
- Combine the vinegar, lemon, mustards, ½ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper and slowly whish in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Add the vinaigrette to the potatoes. Add the green onions, dill, parsley, basil, and the remaining salt and pepper and gently toss to combine.
- Serves 4 to 6
Adding the Vegetables
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients with the potato salad. Toss to combine, and serve at room temperature. Serves 8 to 10