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red potato salad

Red Potato Salad

Sharp with grainy mustard, loaded with celery crunch and half a cup of fresh herbs, this is a potato salad that tastes light rather than heavy. Give it the hour in the fridge, then taste and adjust the lemon before it hits the table.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds red potatoes cut into 1½-inch chunks no peeling needed, the skins stay on
  • Sea salt for cooking the potatoes 2 tablespoons goes into the cooking water
  • ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 3 garlic cloves grated grating helps them dissolve into the dressing
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 celery stalks chopped
  • 3 scallions chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh chives plus more for garnish
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh dill

Method
 

  1. Cook the potatoes. Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with cold water by 1 inch, then stir 2 tablespoons salt into the cooking water. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the chunks are fork-tender with just a little resistance at the center. Drain and let them cool slightly.
  2. Whisk the dressing. In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, mayo, vinegar, garlic, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Keep whisking until the mixture looks uniformly cloudy rather than separated.
  3. Dress and chill. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and pour in the dressing, stirring to coat. Add the celery, scallions, chives, and dill and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the flavors can meld.
  4. Season and serve. When you’re ready to serve, season the salad to taste, adding more lemon juice if you’d like. Garnish with more chives and serve.

Notes

Cut the potato chunks as evenly as you can at 1½ inches. Within a 5 to 10 minute cooking window, small variations in size make a real difference between pieces that are still firm and pieces that have gone soft.
Chop the celery finely enough that it distributes through the bowl. Large chunks give you an occasional loud celery bite rather than consistent crunch throughout.
Reserve some chives when you chop, since the recipe calls for extra as a garnish at the end. Fresh, uncooked herbs scattered on top after chilling taste noticeably brighter than the ones that have been sitting in dressing for an hour.
This is designed to sit for at least an hour, which makes it a reasonable make-ahead dish, though the final seasoning step should always happen right before serving.