3 Potato Salad Recipes Everyone Will Love!
Today I make for you all 3 vastly different Potato Salads from different cultures! These 3 Potato Salads (French, Italian, and German) are all Potato Salads to die for. From Hot Bacon Dressings to a classic Vinaigrette, there Potato Salads showcase the versatility of a Potato Salad!
Recipe Video
Recipe Ingredients
FRENCH SALAD
For the Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 2 to 3 Garlic Cloves roughly chopped
- ¼ cup Parsley leaves
- ½ cup Garlic Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons good White Vinegar
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
For the Salad:
- 4 Russet Potatoes cut into ¾ inch (19mm) cubes
- 1 ½ cup cooked Green Beans, cut into 1 inch (25mm) pieces
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes or a Beefsteak Tomato, sliced
- ½ cup Nicoise Olives or your favorite Olive (Nicoise are usually NOT pitted)
- 1 or 2 tablespoons Capers
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 4 hard-boiled Eggs
- 2 tablespoons Parsley freshly chopped
GERMAN SALAD
For the Dressing:
- ½ pound Bacon chopped
- ½ of a Red Onion
- 2 tablespoons White Balsamic Vinegar
- 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoons Sugar
- Salt and Pepper to taste
For the Salad:
- 3 pounds Red Potatoes, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons Parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon Dill freshly chopped
- ¼ cup Green Onion sliced
ITALIAN SALAD
For the Dressing:
- ¼ cup Italian Parsley Leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons Sicilian White Balsamic Vinegar or a good white wine vinegar
- ½ cup Lemon Olive Oil or your favorite olive oil
- 2 to 3 Garlic Cloves roughly chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoon Lemon Juice
- Salt and Pepper to taste
For the Salad:
- 4 pounds thin-skinned Waxy Potatoes, sliced or diced and poached to your liking*
- 2 tablespoons Sun-Dried Tomatoes finely chopped
- ¼ pound 110g Salami Genoa, cut into small cubes
- ½ cup Red Onion diced
- ½ cup Kalamata Olives sliced and pitted
- 1 cup Baby Artichoke Hearts cut into quarters
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- ¼ cup Pecorino Romano and Parmesan Reggiano grated
- 10 to 12 leaves of Basil cut into very thin chiffonade
Recipe Instructions
FRENCH SALAD
Make the Dressing:
- In a tall measuring cup or any container you may use with your immersion blender (or you may also use your food processor), process all the ingredients until they are all emulsified into a creamy dressing.
Make the Salad:
- Add the potatoes to a pot with cold salted water, bring to a boil, and cook until tender but still a bit firm to avoid overcooking them. When they are cooked to your liking, spread them onto a cookie sheet to let them cool. You can certainly do this in advance and refrigerate until you are ready to mix all the ingredients.
- In a large salad bowl, add about half of the dressing and top with all the ingredients. Carefully mix it all. Add as much dressing as you like.
- Decorate the top with the sliced hard-boiled eggs and freshly chopped parsley.
GERMAN SALAD
Make the Dressing:
- In a reduction sauce pan, over very low heat, cook the bacon so it will release its fat without burning the lean part. Add a little oil if needed.
- Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the vinegar and olive oil to create your dressing. Add the sugar.
Make the Salad:
- Add the potatoes to a pot with cold salted water, bring to a boil, and cook until tender but still a bit firm to avoid overcooking them. When they are cooked to your liking, spread them onto a cookie sheet to stop the cooking process.
- In a large salad bowl, add your potatoes, parsley, dill, and green onion. Add the warm dressing on top and mix well. Check the seasoning with salt and pepper.
ITALIAN SALAD
Make the Dressing:
- In a tall measuring cup or any container you may use with your immersion blender (or you may also use your food processor), process all the ingredients until they are well blended into a beautiful dressing. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Make the Salad:
- In a large salad bowl, add about half of the dressing and top with the potatoes, salami, red onion, olives, and artichoke hearts. Carefully mix it all and add as much dressing as you like.
- Season with salt and pepper and add the cheese and basil chiffonade.
- *The waxy potatoes are well-suited for roasting or boiling, but their waxy flesh isn’t ideal for mashing. The thin skin doesn’t need to be peeled if you’re roasting or boiling, which makes preparation easy.
