Potato Salad with Grainy Mustard and Apple Cider Vinaigrette Recipe

If you’ve spent any time on this blog, you know I love all things spud. I put potatoes in pastas. In soups and as soups. I put potatoes in dal. In the winter I mash, roast and fry them.

Summertime—when you look for ways to avoid heating up the kitchen—poses a challenge for tater addicts. When a craving for salt potatoes hits, I will fire up the stove.



And then there are all the season’s potato salads—many of them dressed with mayonnaise. I happen to love these maligned American classics. I cherish memories of my Grandma Thompson’s version, richly yellow with hardboiled eggs, speckled with sliced sweet gherkins and served on camping trips from a yellow Tupperware bowl with a—to my awed 10 year-old eyes—wondrous “vacuum seal.”

Potato salad—hold the mayo

But it seems a growing number of people, including my youngest son, dislike mayonnaise-based dressings. So in warm weather I improvise potato salads with vinaigrette dressings.

The following version—with its mild oil and apple cider vinegar—bows to potato salad’s American heritage, while holding the mayo.

After boiling the taters, it mixes up in three minutes flat.

And it’s toothsome cold or at room temperature—read, perfect for picnics and al fresco dinners.

Potato Salad with Grainy Mustard and Apple Cider Vinaigrette Recipe

2 pounds small thin-skinned potatoes, any variety—I like a mix
1 tablespoon salt
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup safflower or other mild oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 heaping tablespoon grainy Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Scrub potatoes, leaving skin on, and place in large pot. Cover potatoes with water, add tablespoon of salt, put lid on pot and bring to a boil. Reduce flame and simmer potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and cool until comfortable to handle.
2. You may leave potato skins on or remove, your choice. Cut potatoes into thick slices and place in a large bowl.
3. Thinly slice scallions and add to potatoes.
4. In a bowl or large measuring cup, combine remaining ingredients.
5. Pour vinaigrette over potatoes and scallions, stirring to coat potatoes.
6. Place salad in covered container and chill—or serve at room temperature.

Serves 6.