A summery version of the potato salad I grew up making and eating, this is the type you’ll often see made in Germany during the summer. Radishes have replaced pickles (and are surprisingly similar!), hard-boiled eggs add protein, and chives and green onion add a bit of spice.
This is a lighter salad than many mayonnaise-heavy versions, with rather less added, but it is quite traditional and truly delicious. While I am fond of my recipes with lentils replacing eggs, sometimes a more classic version is nice – and I got the radishes, chive blossoms, and green onion in my CSA this week.
For some more potato salad recipes, try our popular new potato salad, or seasonal asparagus potato salad. Both are vegan if you like the look of this recipe but don’t or can’t eat eggs.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Potatoes: use a waxy potato, like Princess or Queen Anne. They should be labeled as waxy or floury and you don’t want floury potatoes for this recipe. Ask if in doubt.
- Eggs: these should be hard-boiled (usually a five minute boil, depending on size). Mine are bantam eggs so they are rather small.
- Mayonnaise: light mayonnaise can be used, but this is a rather small amount – full-fat does taste better and has less add-ins.
- Chive blossoms: replace with chives, dill, or another herb you like.
- Radishes: any type of radish can be used. If you don’t have them, or don’t like radishes, substitute chopped sour dill pickles.
Step by Step
Step 1: scrub the potatoes well and boil in salted water until fork-soft. Drain, dry for a few minutes, then add the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper while still hot.
Step 2: mix well and set the potatoes aside to cool fully.
Step 3: add the remaining ingredients to the potatoes (I transferred to a bowl so that they would cool more quickly).
Step 4: mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature or cold.
Recipe Notes
There’s no need to peel your potatoes, especially for salad, where that bit of texture can be appreciated. Unnecessary peeling of fruits and vegetables causes excessive food waste and much of the nutrition is located in the skin! A boiled potato with the skin on contains in excess of 100% more vitamin C, potassium, folate, and magnesium than a peeled potato.
A recipe like this is more traditionally served at room temperature, but I understand not wanting to store it at room temp after adding mayonnaise. It is almost as good cold. If possible, try to serve it immediately after mixing so that it doesn’t need to chill.
Mixing the vinegar and mustard with the potatoes while they’re still hot allows them to absorb those flavours more effectively. Mayonnaise shouldn’t be mixed in while still hot as it ruins the texture.
How to Store
Storage: keep the cooled potato salad in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing this recipe, as it has a strange texture when thawed.
Newsletter
Expert Tips
- Season to taste: season the cooking water for potatoes the same way you do for pasta, and then add salt as needed after mixing in the mayonnaise. The amount needed will vary based on how salty the water was and the mayonnaise, so I don’t give a specific amount for this recipe.
- Replant your green onions: the green onion pictured is from the tops of yellow onions, but if you buy green onions with roots, they can be easily regrown in a dish of water, or planted if you have space in a pot or the ground.
- Alter the acidity: if you like lots of acidity in your food, you may want to increase the amount of vinegar used. I usually add a splash directly to my individual bowl after serving, because I love vinegar, rather than adding extra to the whole dish.
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Early Summer Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 800 grams waxy potatoes cut into ~3cm (1 in.) chunks
- Water to cover
- ~1 tablespoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 bunch radishes thinly sliced
- 4 hard-boiled eggs cut into quarters
- 1 bunch green onion sliced
- 1 handful chive flowers or chives
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the potatoes to a large pot with enough water to fully cover, and add the salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce them.800 grams waxy potatoes, Water to cover, ~1 tablespoon sea salt
- Drain the potatoes, then let them dry in the hot pot, uncovered, for about five minutes. This will ensure that no cooking water is leftover.
- Add the vinegar and mustard to the hot potatoes and stir to combine. Set aside to cool fully (transferring to a bowl can help for faster cooling).2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Once the potatoes have cooled, add the radishes, eggs, green onion, chive flowers, and mayonnaise. Mix to combine, then season to taste with salt and pepper.1 bunch radishes, 4 hard-boiled eggs, 1 bunch green onion, 1 handful chive flowers or chives, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- Serve at room temperature or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to three days.
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
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