Herby Potato Salad

This recipe is adapted from Lidey Heuck’s recipe in the New York Times. We were first drawn in by the title—what herb farmer doesn’t love to see their crops featured in a dish?! This has now become a summer standard for dinner parties and, of course, we add double the herbs and different varieties each time we make it.

The portions are large, for a dinner party with left overs, but you can half them and still have enough for a few nights of dinner.

A bowl of herby potato salad awaits a hungry guest, sitting on a hand woven towel made by Warped and Wonderful, a fellow vendor at the Boise Farmers Market. Photo by Arlie Sommer

Ingredients

4 pounds small red or gold potatoes, similar size for even cooking

Salt and black pepper

5 tablespoons red wine vinegar

4 tablespoons stoneground mustard

2/3 cup olive oil

3 cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted and smashed

1 large onion, sliced thin with a mandolin if possible

4 tablespoons of capers

3 oz fresh mint or one bunch, removed from stem and chopped

3 oz fresh parsley or one bunch, removed from stem and chopped

Note: You can sub many other herbs in this dish. Dill, bronze fennel, tarragon, chives, and basil are all excellent potato salad ingredients. Mix it up and try different combinations.

Directions

Step 1

Cook a large stock pot of water (half full) with a tablespoon of salt on high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add the potatoes. Let the water come to a boil again and then reduce to medium but still lightly boiling. Cook for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on how fresh your potatoes are and their size. When you can easily pierce a potato with a fork, remove the pot from the heat and empty out the water, setting aside till they are cool enough to handle.

Step 2

Once you get the potatoes boiling, add olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper to taste to a large bowl that will eventually house the entire salad. Whisk these dressing ingredients together vigorously. Once combined, add the smashed olives, capers, and thinly sliced onion to the dressing to marinate.

Step 3

Cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks and then add them to the dressing, gently tossing. Coarsely chop the herbs and reserve in a pint jar until just before serving. You should have a lot more herbs than you imagined but it will result in a green and refreshing spin on potato salad.

Step 4

Gently fold in the herbs and serve the potato salad at room temperature. Add edible flowers like nasturtiums or calendula petals if you are plating the salad for guests.