Nothing is better than a tasty potato salad to go along with dinner on a hot summer day, but sometimes it can feel heavy and overly greasy. Mayonnaise can make a dish creamy, but not many people realise it should only be used on cold salads, as it can quickly spoil on warm food.
When you add mayonnaise to potato salad, it will simply turn slick and clumpy due to the heat, which makes it off-putting rather than adding to the flavour. Instead, Cheyanne, a culinary expert and creator of No Spoon Necessary, has shared a better way to make potato salad is to make it with red potatoes in a herb-infused olive oil dressing.
Cheyanne said, “Waxy, creamy baby red potatoes are perfect for soaking up the mayo-free dressing—without turning mushy.”
She added: “If you are on the fence about mayo-free potato salads, you absolutely must give this recipe a try! I can (basically) guarantee it will get rave reviews from even the pickiest of eaters in your family!”
Red potatoes are the key to making a tastier potato salad as they are waxy, which means they will hold their better when boiled or add a dressing to them.
Starchy potatoes are used when making mash as they fall apart easily, but will make a salad gummy and unappetising.
Red potatoes are also naturally creamy with a slightly sweet flavour, with a thin skin, so they will make a salad feel much lighter while still being incredibly tasty.
How to make potato salad without mayonnaise
Ingredients
- 1.35kg of small red potatoes
- 120ml of extra virgin olive oil
- Three garlic cloves (minced)
- Three celery stalks (finely diced)
- Four spring onions
- One small red onion
- Four tablespoons of white wine vinegar
- Two tablespoons of granulated sugar
- Two teaspoons of Dijon mustard
- 15g of parsley
- 10g of dill
- 5g of coriander
- 5g of red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
To begin, wash your potatoes and cut them by quartering them into quarters. Then place in a large pot and cover with cold water.
Place on a high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add two tablespoons of salt, two tablespoons of granulated sugar and two tablespoons of vinegar to the water.
Reduce the heat immediately after adding the ingredients, and let the potatoes simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until fork-tender.
Once the time is up, remove the potatoes from the pot, drain in a colander, and place in a mixing bowl.
To make the salad dressing, add olive oil, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, red pepper flakes and the remaining two tablespoons of white vinegar. Also, season with salt and pepper and stir.
Keep mixing until the ingredients are fully combined, then add the parsley, coriander and dill herbs.
Drizzle half the salad dressing over the warm potatoes and toss until fully coated. Add in the spring onions, celery and red onion and then toss the salad again.
Your mouthwatering potato salad is now ready to eat. Add more of the herby salad dressing if the potatoes seem dry or you simply want more flavour.