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Fresh herby potato salad recipe: a seasonal delight
Potato salad is a simple dish that can be made in a variety of ways, but this recipe is my own favourite way of preparing it, made with fresh new potatoes from the garden, seasonal herbs and creamy mayonnaise.
There's nothing like the taste of the season's first new potatoes. The best new potatoes are, of course, freshly dug from your own garden or, failing that, try to get something really fresh and local. The best varieties of potato for this recipe are the firm waxy ones, such as Charlotte, Rocket, Foremost or Jersey Royal potatoes. And I do not think it is a coincidence that the first new potatoes of the year always come at the same time as fresh herbs, such as mint and parsley, are offering up their first tender and delicious leaves - these ingredients were just made to go together.
Cooking the potatoes for this recipe needs to be done well in advance, as they need to be completely cold when making the salad. You could cook twice as many as you need the day before and store half of them in the fridge to use the following day. In fact this recipe is perfect for using up leftover cooked new potatoes!
Cook Time
Ingredients
- 1 lb (500 grams) fresh new potatoes
- A sprig of fresh garden mint
- Around 10 stalks of fresh chives
- A sprig of fresh parsley
- 1 and a half tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Wash the potatoes and rub away the loose skin (this should come off easily if they are really fresh, or can be scrubbed or scraped away with a soft brush or a flat knife). Cut them into pieces, and cook them together with the chopped mint in boiling water for around 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft enough to pass a sharp knife through easily.
- Drain the potatoes and leave until completely cold. As mentioned above, you could use leftover cooked potatoes, or make sure you have cooked them well in advance.
- Mix the mayonnaise with the white wine vinegar and the olive oil - this makes the dressing smoother and easier to coat the potatoes with, and gives it a nice tangy flavour. Finely chop the fresh chives and parsley.
- Cut the cooked potatoes into bite sized pieces, and put into a bowl, sprinkle with freshly ground salt and pepper, add the chopped chives and parsley, and pour over the mayonnaise mixture. Mix it all together gently so as not to break up the potatoes, but making sure they are all coated evenly. Garnish with a few more freshly chopped herbs and it is ready to serve.
- This is a great side dish to accompany a salad, can be served with a main course such as a quiche or nut roast, or makes a great dish to use as part of a buffet. The potato salad will store in the fridge for up to 24 hours, so long as it is covered to prevent the mayonnaise from spoiling.
- Variations: I like the subtle oniony flavour of the chives in this recipe, but if you prefer a stronger flavour you could try adding some crushed garlic or finely chopped spring onions. I sometimes use garlic chives - which are a different variety of the herb, giving the dish a subtle hint of garlic, but without the aromatic after effects of eating raw garlic!
