Herbed potato salad with a twist of flavors from the sunny Mediterranean. With fresh herbs, lemon, capers, shallots, and Dijon mustard. Creamy, but not too much, made with gold potatoes. Make it a day ahead to save time and let the flavors develop. Perfect for summertime menus with grilled foods and friendly gatherings.
I love potato salad, and this one is terrific for summer meals and entertaining. It has light and bright flavors and is just creamy enough without being gooey or overpowering. And if you love Mediterranean flavor of lemon, capers, and herbs, this potato salad is for you.
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Why You'll Like This Recipe
- Easy to make.
- Perfect for summer.
- Simple fresh ingredients.
- Makes ahead easily.
Potato Salad Ingredients
Here's your shopping list for herbed potato salad:
- Potatoes: Use gold 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 is the key, and fresh Italian parsley. Add fresh chopped thyme if you please.
- Creamy dressing: Mayonnaise is the standard but I prefer this brand for it's light clean flavor (and good if you are sensitive to eggs). Use you favorite.
- Lemon: For a bright life of flavor and clean acidity.
- Mustard: Use Dijon mustard for it's more complex flavor. Creamy style is good or use both creamy and whole grain.
- Garlic: A must for flavor! Fresh cloves are best but you can use the organic paste in the tube.
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 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.
How to Cook Potatoes
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.
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.
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 Potato Salad
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 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.
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.
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.
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 one hour if 90°F or higher.
Time Saving 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.
More Summer Recipe Ideas
For more Mediterranean flavors try my Mediterranean chicken recipe.
⭐️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
Herbed Potato Salad
Equipment
- A large pot to cook potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes about 5 large
- ½ cup finely chopped celery 2 large ribs
- ⅓ 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.
Marnee Sigler says
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!
Sally Cameron says
Thanks for reporting back Marnee, sounds like a delicious menu! Reminds me I want to post my chimi sauce sometime. Love that stuff.
Mary Vischetti says
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
Sally says
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.
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says
I love the dill. I have not tried capers. Oh, and I found Vegenaise that is Soy-Free. Delish.
La Torontoise says
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.
Sally says
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!