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    Home » Recipes » Super Salads

    French Potato Salad

    Published: Jul 1, 2014 · Modified: Mar 17, 2022 by Sally Cameron · This post may contain affiliate links · 9 Comments

    562 shares
    A red bowl of potato salad with red, white, and blue utensils.
    ↓ Jump to Recipe

    French potato salad gives classic potato salad a French twist. With tender potatoes, zesty lemon, briny capers, creamy Dijon mustard, lots of fresh herbs, shallots, just a touch of mayonnaise ensures it’s creamy and moist without being heavy. Whether you’re planning a picnic, a backyard barbecue, or simply dinner, French potato salad is always a hit. Make it a day ahead to save time, it's even better.

    Closeup of mediterranean style potato salad with a wooden spoon for serving.

    This French-style potato salad is one of my summer favorites and go-to potato salad recipes for summer meals and entertaining. It has light bright flavors and a creamy texture without being gooey or overpowering. And if you love French flavors, this potato salad is for you.

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Like This Recipe
    • Potato Salad Ingredients
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • Recipe Instructions
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Potato Nutrition and Resistant Starch
    • Recipe FAQs
    • ⭐️Did you Make This Recipe?
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Why You'll Like This Recipe

    • Such good potato salad and easy to make.
    • Perfect for a summer meal.
    • Sure to please potato salad lovers.
    • Easily made ahead.

    Potato Salad Ingredients

    Ingredients for french potato salad in bowls on a marble counter.

    Here's your shopping list for French style potato salad:

    • Potatoes: Use gold potatoes or yellow potatoes for potato salad. They are creamy, buttery tasting, and thin-skinned with golden flesh. They hold up beautifully and don't fall apart like russet potatoes.
    • Celery: For flavor and crunch.
    • Shallot: Softer flavored than onion and adds just a little color.
    • Capers: For that salty, briny flavor.
    • Herbs: Fresh dill and fresh Italian parsley are key and tarragon gives it French flair. A
    • Mayonnaise: Just a little mayo in the dressing gives it creaminess without being heavy. Use your favorite or here's the mayo I use for it's light clean flavor (and good if you are sensitive to eggs or want it vegan).
    • Lemon: For a bright lift of flavor and acidity.
    • Mustard: Use Dijon mustard for it's complex flavor with a kick. Creamy style is good or use both creamy and whole grain mustard.
    • Garlic: A must for flavor! Fresh cloves are best but you can use the organic paste in the tube.

    Please see the recipe card for measurements.

    Perfectly cubed cooked potatoes for potato salad in chef's hands over a bowl.

    Substitutions and Variations

    • If you like hard boiled eggs in potato salad, add a couple of chopped hard boiled eggs. Try my method for making perfect easy peel hard boiled eggs.
    • Don't like Dijon mustard? Use your favorite old fashioned yellow mustard or a grainy mustard.
    • Swap the lemon juice for vinegar, using champagne vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
    • No fresh herbs? Use dried herbs at ⅓ to ½ the amount of fresh, but try to get at least fresh parsley for color and better flavor.
    • Fresh thyme is a nice substitution for tarragon or dill. Using a combination is good.
    • No shallots? Use finely chopped red onion. After chopping, rinse them in cold water to remove some of the pungency, the dried well before adding to the potato salad.
    • Fennel seed is another nice herbal addition and fennel seed it great for digestion.
    • No gold potatoes? Swap red potatoes.
    • For color, sprinkle the top with sliced green onion or chives.

    Recipe Instructions

    How to Cook Potatoes

    Scrub whole potatoes, then simmer in a large pot of salted water (enough water to cover the potatoes) until tender when pierced with a thin metal skewer like a cake tester. Cook until potatoes are tender all of the way through, but don’t let them fall apart.

    How long to boil potatoes for potato salad? Until they are done is the honest answer. You have to check until they are just right. It's about 18-20 minutes.

    While the potatoes are cooking make your mayo-based dressing.

    To Peel or Not to Peel

    You can peel potatoes or not. It's up to you.

    • Cool hot potatoes until you can handle them, then peel with a paring knife (the peels should slip right off). Refrigerate until cold.
    • Cool and chill potatoes completely leaving the peel on. If you change your mind you can peel them after chilling.

    Cold potatoes are much easier to dice into clean cubes, making for a nice presentation. Either leave those skins on (they are good for you) or peel them. When they are just cool enough to handle they peel easily.

    Mixing potato salad in a silver bowl with green herbs and chopped onion.

    Finish the Potato Salad

    After the potatoes are cooked and cold, cut potatoes into small cubes (about ¾"), adding to a large mixing bowl. To the cubed potatoes, add the rest of the ingredients saving the dressing for last.

    For brighter lemon, use the zest too. Sometimes we like it with the addition of fennel seed for a light, sweet licorice flavor. All flavors of the sunny South of France.

    Can You Make French Potato Salad Ahead of Time?

    Absolutely! To save time, simmer your potatoes, chill and dice a day or two ahead. Chop your celery and shallot, rinse the capers and ready your herbs. You can make the dressing completely if you want and fold together with the potatoes the morning of serving.

    Adding mayonnaise to a bowl of potato salad as the finishing step.

    Serving Suggestions

    Herbed potato salad is terrific with grilled meats such as this lemon grilled chicken, baby back ribs, burgers, or steak. It goes with just about anything. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

    Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

    Summer Food Safety for Potato Salad

    If you are serving outdoors on a hot summer day, keep it cold as long as possible, on ice if possible for food safety. If you can't keep it cold, it is safe to serve for up to two hours or only one hour if 90°F or higher outside.

    Small white bowls of creamy potato salad for serving with forks.

    Potato Nutrition and Resistant Starch

    Potatoes get a bad rap as a starchy vegetable, especially for those on a low-carb diet but gold potatoes are a good source of vitamin C, potassium and fiber. When cooked and eaten cold potatoes provide something called resistant starch.

    Resistant starch is a unique kind of fiber that's important for gut health and if your gut is healthy, so are you. Resistant starch resists digestion, feeding the trillions of helpful bacteria in your gut. Read more about it here.

    And seriously, can you live without potatoes? Not in this house. Potatoes are part of a varied and healthy diet.

    Small white bowls of Mediterranean potato salad ready to serve on wood table.

    Recipe FAQs

    What makes French potato salad different from other potato salads?

    French potato salad features ingredients and flavors prominent in French cooking, such as Dijon mustard, capers, shallots instead of onions, and fresh herbs such dill and tarragon. French potato salad is usually lighter than other styles of potato salad.

    Do you use mayonnaise in French potato salad?

    Some recipes use a little mayo, just enough for moisture and a little creaminess and others use a Dijon mustard vinaigrette. Both work well.

    How do you prevent French potato salad from becoming dry?

    To ensure French potato salad is moist and flavorful, use enough dressing without over doing it. If you make it ahead of time, you might need a little extra dressing if the potatoes absorb it. How much dressing is a personal preference.

    What are some variations of French potato salad?

    Instead of gold potatoes, use red skinned potatoes. Add fennel seed along with the fresh herbs. Try using a combination of whole grain Dijon mustard as well as creamy Dijon mustard. lastly, try adding a little finely chopped fresh fennel. All of these ideas will help you to customize your French potato salad if desired.

    More Summer Recipe Ideas

    For more Mediterranean flavors try my Mediterranean chicken recipe or this terrific lemony gluten-free pasta salad.

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      Fruit Kabobs Made with Melon
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    • A single layer sweet cherry cake with golden top on white plate.
      Easy One-Pan Fresh Cherry Cake

    ⭐️Did you Make This Recipe?

    If you make this herbed potato salad? If so, please add your comment. I appreciate your feedback and enjoy hearing from you. If you loved it, please give it a 5-star rating! They really help other readers.

    📖 Recipe

    Mediterranean potato salad

    French Potato Salad

    Sally Cameron
    A classic summer side, this potato salad  borrows from flavors of the Mediterranean with dill, lemon and capers. Cook potatoes a day ahead for easy assembly. If you don’t like dill, try thyme or tarragon. For more herbs, add chopped parsley and even a little fennel seed for more Mediterranean flavor. For brighter lemon flavor, use zest as well.
    5 from 2 votes
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    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Chill time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
    Course Side Dish, vegetables
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8
    Calories 143 kcal

    Equipment

    • A large pot to cook potatoes

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 ¼ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes 5 large potatoes
    • ½ cup finely chopped celery 2-3 ribs
    • ⅓ cup finely chopped shallot substitute onion
    • 1-2 tablespoons capers rinsed and drained
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
    • ½ tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or thyme sub 1 teaspoon dried
    • ¼ cup mayonnaise or Vegenaise
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 large garlic clove finely minced or zested
    • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

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    Instructions
     

    Cook potatoes

    • Scrub potatoes and leave peel on. Place potatoes in a medium pot and add a little salt. Cover with cold water and bring to just under a boil. Turn down heat and simmer potatoes until completely tender when pierced with a thin metal skewer like a cake tester, 18-20 minutes.
      Drain potatoes, cool and refrigerate until cold. Gently peel potatoes with a paring knife, the skins almost slide off. You can do this a day ahead and keep potatoes refrigerated.
      Note - You can also peel potatoes when they are just cool enough to handle, then refrigerate whole.

    Finish potato salad

    • Dice cold potatoes into approximately ¾″ cubes and place in a medium bowl. Add celery, shallot, capers, dill, parsley. In a small bowl, stir or whisk together the vegenaise, lemon juice, garlic, and mustard until smooth, then gently fold into the potatoes until the they are well coated. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed, and add extra lemon or herbs if desired.
      Keep potato salad covered and refrigerated until serving time. May be served chilled or closer to room temperature.

    Notes

    • If you like hard boiled eggs in potato salad, add a couple of chopped hard boiled eggs. Try my method for making perfect easy peel hard boiled eggs.
    • Don't like Dijon mustard? Use your favorite old fashioned yellow mustard if preferred.
    • No fresh herbs? Use dried herbs at ⅓ to ½ the amount of fresh, but try to get at least fresh parsley for color and better flavor.
    • No shallots? Use finely chopped red onion. After chopping, rinse them in cold water to remove some of the pungency, the dried well before adding to the potato salad.
    • For vegan potato salad, be sure to use a no-egg mayo.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 143kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 174mgPotassium: 535mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 38IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was with a comment and leave a star rating!

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    « Quick and Simple Grilled Zucchini
    Creamy Mango Sauce »
    562 shares

    Comments

    1. Sandi G says

      May 27, 2024 at 2:21 pm

      5 stars
      This salad has so much flavor. I made it for our cul de sac cookout. I used red potatoes because they seemed fresher. I didn't have enough shallots, but there weren't many in the store. I will definitely make it again.

      Reply
      • Sally Cameron says

        May 28, 2024 at 4:44 pm

        Hi Sandi, so glad you liked it.Thanks for reporting back. Great choice on the red potatoes as a swap for when you can't get the produce you went to the market for.

        Reply
    2. Marnee Sigler says

      May 30, 2023 at 7:15 pm

      It was magic. We grilled tri tip with chimichurri sauce with this Potato salad. Added a Tomato and avocado salad and roasted asparagus. It was a winner!

      Reply
      • Sally Cameron says

        June 02, 2023 at 8:30 am

        Thanks for reporting back Marnee, sounds like a delicious menu! Reminds me I want to post my chimi sauce sometime. Love that stuff.

        Reply
    3. Mary Vischetti says

      July 09, 2014 at 10:30 am

      Hello Sally, I just discovered your wonderful blog, thanks to my son who put an app on my smartphone. I have been living in Italy for a long time now, but grew up in the USA and I am still very emotionally linked to my first home. I love your blog!! Yesterday I made your simple grilled zucchini and it was simply delicious! Your recipes are so interesting and healthy, so I'm going to come visit you often! Best wishes, Mary

      Reply
      • Sally says

        July 10, 2014 at 1:11 pm

        Thanks Mary! Love to hear that what I post, people enjoy. I am sure many people would be jealous of you living in Italy. We have enjoyed traveling there and look for reward to more trips in the future. Please, keep reporting from Italy! Best, Sally.

        Reply
    4. Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says

      July 01, 2014 at 6:16 pm

      I love the dill. I have not tried capers. Oh, and I found Vegenaise that is Soy-Free. Delish.

      Reply
    5. La Torontoise says

      July 01, 2014 at 4:00 pm

      Sally, love this!! I did not do it with garlic but will give it a try:)
      And have a great July 4rth Day!!
      Today is Canada day, on my side:)

      All the best.

      Reply
      • Sally says

        July 01, 2014 at 6:04 pm

        I do it both ways! A little garlic and no garlic. Do what is best for you! And have fun playing with the herbs. Love tarragon too. Happy Canada Day! Love my Canadian buddies!

        Reply
    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Chef Sally Cameron of aFoodcentricLife.com in her kitchen.

    Welcome! I'm Sally, a professionally trained chef, former personal chef and caterer, lover of fresh healthy food, and sharing it with others.

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