A mayo-free potato salad? Yep! This French Potato Salad recipe is made with tender baby potatoes, lots of fresh herbs, and coated in a light tangy vinaigrette dressing. Always a hit at get togethers!
French Potato Salad Recipe
My entire family loves mayonnaise, so we don’t shy away from traditional potato salad, macaroni salad, or pea salad where mayo is the base. The more mayo, the better. BUT I also love a herby-garlicky vinaigrette dressing, so this French Potato Salad is also near and dear to my heart. And, well, if you’re someone who hates mayonnaise but loves potatoes, today’s recipe is for you!
This recipe starts with a duo of red and yellow baby potatoes that are quartered and boiled until fork tender. Once drained, they absorb vinegar and chicken broth before being coated with lots of fresh herbs and a tangy, garlicky vinaigrette. It’s flavor-packed and light, but so satisfying.
Our favorite way to serve this French-style potato salad is room temperature, but it’s also wonderful warm or chilled, so it’s great for entertaining.
Ingredients Needed
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this French potato salad recipe:
(Scroll to the bottom for our easy printable recipe with the complete directions.)
- Olive oil – This is the base of the dressing.
- Dijon Mustard – Creamy mustard adds a key flavor to the dressing. Even if you don’t love mustard, don’t skip it!
- White wine vinegar – This is used in two parts of the recipe. Or you can use lemon juice or red wine vinegar, if that’s what you have on hand.
- Garlic – For wonderful aromatics and an earthy bite.
- Salt and Pepper – Seasons the dressing.
- Potatoes – I use a combination of red and yellow baby potatoes, but you can use just one or the other, if preferred.
- Chicken broth – Absorbs into the cooked potatoes for extra flavor.
- Scallions – Part of the onion family with a subtle peppery taste. You could also use minced shallot instead.
- Fresh Herbs – A mix of parsley, dill, chives, and tarragon are really the stars of this potato salad.
How to Make French Potato Salad
This French style potato salad is super simple to make.
(Scroll to the bottom for our easy printable recipe with the complete directions.)
- Make the dressing. In a large glass spouted measuring cup or mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, mustard, some of the vinegar, minced garlic, some salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Cook the potatoes. In a medium pot, cover potatoes by 1-inch water. Salt the water and bring to a boil. Cook potatoes until just fork tender and still holding their shape, about 8-10 minutes. Drain.
- Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining vinegar and chicken broth. Let cool for abut 5 minutes.
- Combine potatoes and dressing. Transfer potatoes to a large shallow serving bowl. Give the dressing a whisk to reincorporate and drizzle over the potatoes along with the scallions and all the herbs. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve. Enjoy the salad warm or at room temperature, or even chilled.
Tips and Variations
- Don’t over-cook the potatoes. The potatoes should be fork tender, not mushy. To check, pierce the potatoes with the tip of a knife to see how much resistance there is. If it goes in easily, they’re done.
- Using other potatoes. My favorite potatoes to use for French-style potato salad is baby yellow and red potatoes, but Yukon Gold also work great. Just keep in mind that the size of the pieces will determine how long you cook them. Avoid starchy russet potatoes, which are great for baking, but not for boiling – they’ll crumble!
- Switch up the herbs. Since this is a French style salad, I like to stick to with French herbs like parsley, chives, and tarragon, but you can switch them up to suite your tastes, if needed.
- Don’t skip the mustard. Even if you don’t like mustard, don’t skip it. It’s creamy texture and tanginess are a key flavor in the dressing.
- Need it vegan? If you need this salad to be vegan, replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth or simply omit.
Serving Suggestions
French Potato salad pairs well with almost any summer potluck or BBQ dish. Serve this as a side dish to Turkey Burgers, Spiral Hot Dogs, Baby Back Ribs, Grilled Flank Steak, or Grilled Chicken Breasts.
Proper Storage
- Make ahead. We prefer this potato salad at room temperature, but you can easily assemble it the day before serving and chill, covered, in the fridge.
- Leftovers. Store leftover French potato salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Keep in mind that the oil-base vinaigrette will solidify.
- Can you freeze potato salad? Technically, yes. But I don’t recommend it. Once thawed the potatoes get grainy and the dressing separates. We just prefer to make it fresh each time.
More Classic Potluck Recipes:
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French Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 6 tablespoons white wine vinegar , divided
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 & 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes , quartered
- 1 & 1/2 pounds baby yellow potatoes , quartered
- 2 tablespoons chicken broth
- 4 scallions , diced
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
Instructions
- In a large glass spouted measuring cup (or mixing bowl), whisk together the olive oil, mustard, 4 tablespoons of the vinegar, minced garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- In a medium pot, cover potatoes by 1-inch water. Salt the water and bring to a boil. Cook potatoes until just fork tender and still holding their shape, about 8-10 minutes. Drain.
- Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar and chicken broth. Let cool for abut 5 minutes.
- Transfer potatoes to a large shallow serving bowl. Give the dressing a whisk to reincorporate and drizzle over the potatoes along with the scallions and all the herbs. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
- Enjoy warm, at room temperature, or even chilled. (Room temp is our favorite.)
