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    Home » Recipes » The Daniel Plan

    Mediterranean Potato Salad

    Published: Jul 1, 2014 · Modified: Mar 17, 2022 by Sally Cameron · This post may contain affiliate links · 7 Comments

    534 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    A nice twist on traditional potato salad, with lemon, capers, shallots, fresh herbs, and Dijon. Creamy, but not too much with gold potatoes. Make it a day ahead to save time.

    Mediterranean potato salad with herbs in a red bowl.
    Mediterranean potato salad with herbs.

    I love potato salad, and this one is terrific for summer meals and entertaining. Make it a day ahead.

    Potato Salad Ingredients

    The best potatoes for potato salad are gold potatoes. They are creamy, buttery tasting, and thin-skinned with golden flesh. They hold up beautifully for potato salad and don't fall apart like drier potato varieties. Here's your shopping list:

    • Gold potatoes
    • Celery
    • Shallot
    • Capers
    • Fresh dill
    • Vegenaise or mayonnaise
    • Lemon
    • Dijon
    • Garlic
    Diced cooked potatoes ready for potato salad.
    Diced cooked potatoes ready for potato salad.

    How to Cook Potatoes

    Scrub whole potatoes, then simmer covered with cold water until tender when pierced with a paring knife. Cook until they are tender all of the way through, but don’t let them fall apart.

    Cool potatoes and then refrigerate until cold. 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.

    Mediterranean potato salad being mixed in a bowl.
    Mediterranean potato salad being mixed in a bowl.

    How to Make

    After the potatoes are cooked and cold, chop them into cubes. To the cubed potatoes, add crunchy celery, shallot, rinsed capers and fresh chopped dill. Tarragon is nice too.

    How to Finish

    To finish the potato salad, fold in a dressing of your favorite mayonnaise mixed with lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. For a vegan dish, use this as it is egg-free. Or try homemade mayo, it's delicious.

    For more herbal flavor, add chopped Italian parsley. 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 Mediterranean.

    Mixing potato salad.
    Mixing potato salad.

    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.

    Ready to serve, finished potato salad.
    Ready to serve, finished potato salad.

    Make Ahead Tips

    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. Serve chilled.

    Small bowl of finished potato salad, ready to eat.
    Small bowl of finished potato salad, ready to eat.

    More Recipe Ideas

    For more Mediterranean flavors try my Mediterranean chicken recipe.

    📖 Recipe

    Mediterranean 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 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    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 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes about 5 large
    • ½ cup finely chopped celery 2 large ribs
    • â…“ cup finely chopped shallot substitute onion
    • 1 tablespoon capers rinsed and drained
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill thyme or tarragon
    • 4 tablespoons mayonnaise or Vegenaise
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 clove garlic finely minced
    • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

    Instructions
     

    • 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 until completely tender when pierced with a paring knife or 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.
    • When potatoes are cold, dice into approximately ¾″ cubes and place in a medium bowl. To the potatoes, add celery, shallot, capers, dill. 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 dill if preferred.

    Notes

    We love capers, so when I make this I double the capers. 

    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!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. 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
    2. 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
    3. 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
    4. 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

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