With the sun finally gracing us with its presence, the last thing many of us want is to spend hours over a hot stove. This makes it the perfect time to prepare a deliciously creamy potato salad. This classic dish is wonderfully satisfying, yet many people avoid making it due to the large amount of mayonnaise typically required, which can make the salad feel overly greasy and heavy.
No Mayo, All Creaminess
Kathryne Taylor, a cook and founder of Cookie and Kate, has revealed that you can easily make potato salad without any mayonnaise and still achieve a wonderfully creamy texture. She explains: "To make the best mayo-free potato salad, reserve some potato cooking water before draining the potatoes. Then, blend the herbs and olive oil with the starchy reserved water. You'll end up with a creamy emulsification that infuses the potatoes with fresh flavour."
When potatoes are boiled, a significant amount of starch is released into the water, which helps create a silkier, smoother salad dressing. Using the starchy water also allows the potatoes to absorb more of the dressing, ensuring you still enjoy a rich and creamy salad without the heaviness that mayonnaise brings.
A Healthier, More Flavourful Option
Not only is this a far healthier option, but the natural potato flavour and salt work together to enhance the overall taste, resulting in a delicious dish that's ideal for serving at dinner or taking along to your next barbecue or picnic.
How to Make Potato Salad Even Tastier
Ingredients
- 900g of small red potatoes
- Two cloves of garlic
- Three stalks of celery
- 20g of flat-leaf parsley
- 20g of spring onions
- 30ml of lemon juice
- 60ml of olive oil
- Two tablespoons of Dijon mustard
- One tablespoon of sea salt
- One teaspoon of black pepper
Instructions
Cutting the potatoes before boiling them is absolutely essential, as it speeds up the cooking process and prevents them from turning mushy in the salad later on.
Place the chopped potatoes into a large pot, add one tablespoon of salt, then cover with water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for five minutes until the potatoes are tender. Reserve approximately 60ml of the potato cooking water, then transfer the potatoes into a large mixing bowl.
Add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, black pepper, Dijon mustard, 5g of the parsley and 5g of the green onions to a food processor. Blitz until everything is finely chopped. Alternatively, if you don't own a food processor, simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk thoroughly.
Once blended, pour the reserved cooking water into the olive oil mixture to create a delicious salad dressing. Drizzle the olive oil dressing over the potatoes and toss until they are completely coated. Leave the potatoes to rest for 10 minutes, allowing them to absorb the dressing.
Your irresistible potato salad is now ready to enjoy. It is best eaten within a few hours of preparation, but will keep fresh in the fridge for three days.
