Garlic-Herb Potato Salad
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Garlic-Herb Potato Salad is my favorite summer side dish for a lighter potato option—no mayo or eggs here! The fresh and herby flavors with a light vinegar base are absolutely perfect on a soft red potato. You’ll forget all about those creamy and perishable potato salads!
You need this easy side dish for summer because it’s pretty much the ultimate potluck/get-together/picnic potato salad. Or just make it for a side dish for dinner tomorrow for your family, then eat what’s left the following day for lunch (it does make a big batch, but you’ll be so glad it does!).
Garlic Herb Potato Salad—Best Potato Salad Recipe Ever!
This Garlic-Herb Potato Salad is perfectly vibrant and flavorful thanks to the herbed vinaigrette dressing and it’s likely going to become a go-to potato salad recipe for you. It’s easy to make and it’s the perfect use for all the herbs growing in the garden. This recipe will likely remind you of this Cumin Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Chimichurri Sauce I recently posted (if you happened to have tried it already), the flavors are very similar to that sauce but rather I swapped out the cilantro for herbs that are a perfect match for potatoes like chives, fresh dill, and thyme and added some dijon mustard. This is one of those side dish recipes that’s so good you might just find yourself heading back for another serving before you’ve started the main dish. It’s the perfect summer side and I just can’t get enough of it!
No Mayonnaise aka German Potato Salad Recipe Variations
Here are a few ideas for customizing this potato salad for your summer potlucks:
- Red Onion for tangy flavor and crunch
- Need even more crunch? Chop up celery or dill pickles!
- Cook bacon until crispy and chop into tiny bites (you can even add some bacon grease to the dressing!)
- Chopped hard-boiled eggs if you still need some dairy
- Substitute red potatoes for russets or Yukon gold potatoes, but watch the cook times. Russet potatoes will need more time to bake.
- Add some apple cider vinegar to the dressing
Follow Cooking Classy
Garlic-Herb Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 3 lbs small red potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed and diced into small even size chunks (about 1-inch)
- Salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil (I prefer 1/4 cup extra-virgin 1/4 cup regular)
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbsp)
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (from about 1/2 cup cup packed leaves with some stem)
- 2 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives*
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water by an inch or two. Season water with salt (about 1 Tbsp).
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until potatoes are just tender all the way through, about 10 - 15 minutes (they should pierce easily with a knife, but you also don't want them really tender/mushy).
- Drain potatoes and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes**.
- While potatoes are cooking prepare the dressing - in a mixing bowl whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, pepper, parsley, chives and thyme. Season with salt to taste (about 1 1/2 tsp).
- Let mixture rest while potatoes continue to cook and cool slightly, then once potatoes are ready, pour drained potatoes into a large mixing bowl.
- Pour dressing over top and gently toss just a few times to coat. Serve warm or chilled.
Notes
- *Other herbs of choice can be substituted for the chives and thyme. The parsley is a must but the others can be replaced with other herbs such as basil, tarragon, dill or rosemary. Just use what you like or what you've already got on hand.
- **Cooling is recommend so potatoes don't fall apart while tossing. If you want to serve them hot then plate individual servings of potatoes and spoon dressing over each serving rather then tossing everything together.