Summer Herb Potato Salad (No Mayo Required)

There's a certain kind of potato salad that shows up at every backyard barbecue - heavy, mayo-drenched, and kind of sad sitting out in the sun. This is not that potato salad.

This one's bright and herby, dressed in champagne vinegar and good olive oil instead of mayo. It's the kind of thing that actually tastes better at room temperature, which makes it the perfect dish to bring to a summer cookout, pack for a picnic, or just keep in the fridge for the week.

What You'll Need

• A mix of red and gold potatoes, quartered
• Champagne vinegar
• Celery, chopped
• Green onion, sliced
• Fresh basil
• Fresh chives
• Fresh thyme
• Dried oregano
• Fresh dill
• Fresh parsley
• Dijon mustard
• Garlic
• Olive oil (good quality)
• Salt and pepper

A quick note before you start: this isn't a strict measurement recipe. I'm not going to tell you to use exactly 2 tablespoons of anything. Add ingredients as you go, taste as you go, and adjust until it's right for you. Recipes like this are meant to be a little different every time.

How to Make It

Boil the potatoes. Start your quartered potatoes in a pot of cold water — this helps them cook more evenly. Bring to a low boil and cook for 8-10 minutes, until they're fork tender but not falling apart. You want them to hold their shape.

Steam it out. Strain the potatoes and add them back to the warm, empty pot. Let them sit for a few minutes so the residual steam evaporates any extra moisture. Dry potatoes soak up dressing much better than wet ones.

Soak in the vinegar. While the potatoes are still warm, drizzle champagne vinegar over them. Warm potatoes are like little sponges, so this is the moment they'll really absorb the flavor. Don't be shy — you can always taste and add more later.

Add the crunch and herbs. Toss in your celery, green onion, and a generous mix of chopped basil, dill, chives, thyme, oregano, and parsley.

Make the dressing. In a small bowl, mix together one minced clove of garlic, a few spoonfuls of dijon mustard, and olive oil. Whisk it until it comes together, then pour it over the potato mixture.

Season and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste, then taste again. This is the step where you make it yours — maybe it needs another splash of vinegar, maybe a little more salt, maybe more herbs than you thought.

Make It Your Own

This recipe is really more of a template than a rulebook. A few ideas if you want to switch it up:

+ Add protein. A can of good tuna stirred in turns this into a full meal.

+ Choose your onion.  Use red or white onion instead of green.

+ Add some heat. A pinch of red pepper flakes wakes the whole thing up.

+ Add crunch. Toasted pine nuts or sliced almonds are great here.

+ Swap the herbs. Don't have fresh herbs? Use dried italian seasoning - this has a lot of the same herbs.

+ Make it tangier. If you like a punchier bite, add an extra splash of champagne vinegar right before serving.

The whole point is to taste as you go and trust yourself. Some of the best batches of this salad have come from just eyeballing it and course-correcting along the way.

Enjoy!

xo,

Jamie