Of the three or four potato salads I make regularly, this pared-back French version is my favourite. With only five ingredients, quality matters – small salad potatoes, a grassy olive oil, fresh herbs, and tarragon vinegar (though a nice white wine vinegar works too). The original recipe comes from Nigel Slater’s Real Food.
French potato salad
(serves 4 as a side dish)
- 1 lb (500g) small salad potatoes
- 3 Tb tarragon vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
- 2 shallots, minced
- up to 100ml olive oil
- 2 Tb parsley, chopped (I add some chopped tarragon too, when I’ve got it)
- Boil the potatoes whole in salted water until just tender. Drain and set aside until they are just cool enough to peel without burning your fingers.
- Slice the peeled potatoes into chunks.
- In a large bowl, mix together the vinegar and shallots. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until it emulsifies into a vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss the sliced potatoes and parsley in the dressing until well coated. Let the salad sit for at least half an hour so that the cooling potatoes can absorb some of the dressing. Give it another toss just before serving, as extra dressing will have settled at the bottom.
Ten More Bites 
What a great thing Andrea! I’ll be sure to try some of them love the look of the French potato salad and the drinks seem really different – excellent
Thanks, Wade! Let me know how you get on…
tried this recipe last night and enjoyed it. An added bonus is that it works well as a make ahead in the morning of a scorching hot day
I agree – the flavour improves the longer the potatoes have to absorb the dressing.