This Lemony Potato Salad is a change from the ordinary. It’s tangy, herbaceous, and, thanks to the olives and capers, has little pops of flavor throughout.
I was never a huge fan of traditional potato salad. Those gloopy ones made with mayonnaise, pickles, and celery are just not to my liking. It’s the same way I feel about coleslaw. They’re both just too…bland. So when I make potato salad, I make it this way, with plenty of lemon (juice and pieces of the fruit), herbs, olive oil, and other goodies.
My mom has been making this salad for as long as I can remember. In fact, I can’t recall a single Thanksgiving where a huge bowl of this salad wasn’t on the table. It comes together really quickly and we almost always had all the ingredients on hand anyway. You can use either the starchier, Russet-style potatoes or the waxier, red potatoes. Each one makes a good salad, however keep in mind that the starchier varieties will disintegrate more easily whereas the waxy ones tend to stay more intact. This time, I used Russets.
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 3-4 scallions
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 Tablespoons rinsed capers
- 10-15 pitted olives, roughly chopped
- ½ of a lemon, very thinly sliced
- 3 lbs (1.5kg) potatoes, more or less (I used 6 large Russet potatoes)
- Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
- Chop the parsley, scallions, and thyme and put them in a large bowl. Add the capers, chopped olives, and sliced lemon.
- Either bake or boil the potatoes. Boiling is quicker. Peel and chop the potatoes into bite-sized pieces (try to make the pieces reasonably uniform in size) and rinse and drain them. Then put them into a big pot and fill the pot with lukewarm water until it covers the potatoes. Throw in a pinch of salt and put it on high heat to bring it to a boil. Once the potatoes are boiling, lower the heat to medium and let it simmer, stirring occasionally. After 10-15 minutes, test a few pieces of potato for doneness by stabbing a small knife into them. If you meet resistance, they need more time. When the potatoes are done, drain them and throw them back into the pot and put them back on the stove with the heat off. (This will help dry out any excess water) Cool them off for 5 minutes.
- Add the still hot potatoes to the large bowl containing the herbs, olives, and lemons. Drizzle the dressing onto the potatoes and toss everything to combine well. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
-If you notice that your leftovers have become too dry, drizzle a little more olive oil on top and toss to combine.
I love potato salad but to tell you the truth this looks more appealing. I’ve got to try this.
Maybe I can learn to love the traditional version…? I’ll have to play around with the recipe. 🙂