French Potato Salad

My recipe for French Potato Salad is my take on this classic dish and it is one you won’t want to miss! I love the fresh herbs and the bright flavors in this dish and I know you will too. Save it so you can make it again and again. 

I love when simple food and simple ingredients can be so gosh darn good! My recipe for French Potato Salad is one of those recipes that combines just good, wholesome ingredients to give you a summer dish that is full of beautiful, fresh flavors. It’s easy to make and is a perfect option for potato salad lovers who don’t want all the mayonnaise. This gorgeous salad is a perfect side dish for barbecues, picnics or even just for an easy, breezy dinner (or lunch). Let’s dig in. 

What is French Potato Salad?

French Potato Salad is a potato salad that is made with a vinegar dressing and fresh herbs. It is a zippy and vibrant dish that is one of my summer favorites. It is a more elegant version of the American counterpart and does not include any mayonnaise in the dressing. 

At its most basic level French Potato Salad is potatoes, fresh herbs like chives, thyme and parsley and vinegar, olive oil and a bit of Dijon mustard. The potatoes in the salad are cooked to al dente. So they aren’t as soft as a typical American Style potato salad. You want the potatoes to hold their shape when tossed with a dressing. 

Many people also like to include ad ons and in my recipe for French Potato Salad that’s exactly what I did. 

A variety of add ons

I used radishes, red onions, French green beans and chive blossoms to make my recipe for French Potato Salad delicious and make the plate colorful. However, there are plenty of other options too. They include:

• Artichokes
• Capers
• Lemon Zest
• Fresh, cherry tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Olives

Goodness of chives

French Potato Salad heavily features chives in the dressing and I thought that chive blossom season was the perfect time to make it! If you grow chives from year to year, they’re always some of the first flowers to pop up in the spring or early summer when the tulips have finished blooming. I love how they make this salad look beautiful. 

If you’re not familiar with them – or with eating them – they grow on the tops of chives each spring. And they taste just like chives! 

If you don’t have chive blossoms, don’t worry. You can make this recipe for French Potato Salad without the chive blossoms. Although I will say, sometimes you can find them at the farmer’s market.  

The potatoes used

In my recipe for French Potato Salad, I used smaller Dutch Potatoes. However, different recipes seem to show a variety of potatoes being used. Some recipes show red potatoes, some show fingerling potatoes and some – like mine – use Dutch potatoes. If you want to make my recipe exactly, use smaller Dutch Potatoes. However if you prefer red potatoes or fingerling potatoes you can certainly use those. I would just stay away from using Russet potatoes. 

The potatoes used in French Potato Salad are cooked to just done. Or as I called it above “al dente” like pasta. Meaning you don’t want them to get soggy or too soft. They’re also cooked in heavily salted water with a few bay leaves. The total boiling time is 5-6 minutes. You want to be able to spear them with a fork but don’t want them soft enough that they will fall apart when mixed with the other ingredients. 

Tips for making my recipe for French Potato Salad

• I cut my potatoes about 1/4 inch thick. This makes them easy to eat, cut and makes them cook pretty quickly.
• If you’re using chive blossoms, cut the blossom off the top and discard the green stem. The stems that the chive blossoms grow on are very woody. You can use them, but I recommend tossing them and using the stalks without the blossoms in the rest of the recipe. 
• After boiling, cover the stainer with a tea towel or paper towel and let them cool completely. It will take about one hour. You can then put the in the refrigerator or serve them. 
• For my radishes, I used a mandolin to cut them really thin. Make sure to use the finger guard this comes with because mandolins can easily cut your fingers. The one I have is no longer available but I just ordered this one {HERE} that’s a mandolin and vegetable slicer. 
• Make sure to use a high-quality, extra virgin olive oil in this recipe for French Potato Salad. It’s a huge part of the salad and the base of the dressing. The better the quality, the better the taste. 
• Season well with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. The salt is especially important here because these are potatoes. 

Storing 

You can store the French Potato Salad for up to two days. Cover it with an airtight lid or a tight wrap and refrigerate it. Take it out about 15 minutes before you want to eat it and let the olive oil come back to room temperature. I do not recommend making it more than about 12 hours ahead of time so the storing and re-using instructions are really more if you have leftovers. I’m a big believer in fresh is best and using it the same day with this recipe. 

Looking for other potato salad recipes or summer sides?

Here’s a few more potato salad recipes and side dish ideas that are perfect for the summer season. 

• Lemon & Herb Potato Salad with capers {HERE}
• Bacon & Blue Cheese Potato Salad {HERE}
• Mediterranean Grilled Asparagus {HERE}
• Grilled Elote {HERE}
• Rotini Pasta Salad {HERE}

Thank you so much for joining me today, friends! I hope that you love my recipe for French Potato Salad. You can find the full, printable recipe below. I hope to see you again! Happy eating.
 

Recipe for French Potato Salad

My recipe for French Potato Salad is my take on this classic dish and it is one you won't want to miss! I love the fresh herbs and the bright flavors in this dish and I know you will too. Save it so you can make it again and again. 

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: French Potato Salad, French Potato Salad recipe, recipe for French Potato salad

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 6 minutes

Servings: 6

Author: Rachel

Ingredients

Ingredients for the potatoes

• 8-10 small to medium Dutch Potatoes, washed and sliced to 1/4 inch
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 Tbsp. sea salt

Ingredients for the dressing

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar Start with 1 1/2 and if you want more acid add the other half.
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup minced chives
• 1/2 tsp. Sea salt
• A few twists of fresh cracked black pepper
• Optional: 8-10 chive blossoms/flowers of the chive blossom
• Additional sea salt and pepper to taste when serving.

Additional ingredients

• 1/2 cup radish slices
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
• 1/2- 3/4 cup French green beans, cooked and chopped in half

Instructions

• Boil salted water (the 1/2 Tbsp. of sea salt) and then add the bay leaves and sliced potatoes. Cook for 5 - 6 minutes until you can pierce them with a fork.
• Drain the potatoes and let them cool in the strainer with a paper towel or tea towel over the top. This will take about 1 hour. Then you can chill them if you want.
• While the potatoes cook, mix together the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
• Once the potatoes have cooled, mix the dressing and additional ingredients in. You can serve this right away or chill it for awhile before serving. Make sure to remove it from the refrigerator 10-15 minutes before serving for the olive oil to come to room temperature.