Creamy potato salad with fresh herbs takes a cue from both Southern Gulf and German cooking traditions with a mayo based vinaigrette, horseradish, mustard, celery seed, and dill. It’s a family favorite. We’re sure your family will love it, too.
Adapted from Kelsey Barnard Clark | Southern Grit | Chronicle Books, 2021
When my great-great-grandparents immigrated from Germany over one hundred years ago, they arrived in Mobile, Alabama, and opened their family restaurant. They served wholesome comfort food with German and Southern Gulf influences.–Kelsey Barnard Clark
HOW DO I KNOW WHEN MY BOILED POTATOES ARE READY?
Whether your potatoes are whole or cubed, make sure that they’re the same size so that they all cook at the same rate. Starting the potatoes in cold water helps them to cook more evenly, so make sure not to overlook that instruction. After simmering, the potatoes are done when they are tender all the way through. You can test this by poking the potato with a fork or paring knife. If the utensil slides easily all the way to the center, the potatoes are done, 12 to 15 minutes.
☞ Contents
Creamy Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs
Ingredients
- 5 pounds new potatoes quartered
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt plus more as needed
- 1 cup mild vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons stone ground mustard
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup chopped scallions
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
Directions
- In a large pot combine the potatoes and 2 tablespoons salt, cover with enough cold water so that all the potatoes are submerged. Over high heat, bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are barely tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Allow the potatoes to steam and drain for 15 to 20 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mayonnaise, mustard, pepper, horseradish, celery seed, and garlic powder. Fold in the scallions, parsley, and dill. Season with salt to taste.
- While the potatoes are still warm, toss them in a large bowl with the dressing to coat, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Season with salt to taste.
- Serve cold or at room temperature. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
As someone who would always rather have macaroni salad and usually only eat potato salad to be polite, German-style potato salad always felt like the black sheep in a category I had no interest in. I’m not sure this recipe for creamy potato salad with fresh herbs has swayed me to issue a blanket pardon to all the dripping wet one-note vinegar sauced spuds I’ve suffered through, but this one has wormed its way into my heart with its stellar flavor profile and a dressing that clings to the potatoes.
The usual bacon base has been omitted and replaced with almost 2 cups of chopped green herbs and horseradish, which brings so much vibrancy and freshness that it proves bacon doesn’t make everything better. The celery seed brings a lot of nostalgia for me (a key component in my grandmother’s macaroni salad) and helps the salad feel old-fashioned and comfort-laden without sacrificing the lightness of the herbs.
Make this recipe when you have a bunch of guests coming over, because it feeds an army. I have been delivering containers of it around the neighborhood, and it continues to convert German potato salad skeptics left and right. Someone even called it “divine” and “to die for.” I’ll let the reviews speak for themselves.
My only change is I might cut the potatoes slightly smaller, but that’s a personal preference to increase the dressing to potato ratio in each bite, because it’s that good.
This creamy potato salad with fresh herbs is a lovely take on potato salad that would make a delicious addition to a buffet. We enjoyed it with chicken breast, butterflied and dredged in panko and pan fried. Lovey dinner for a summer evening!
This creamy potato salad with fresh herbs is a perfect side for BBQ’d anything. It’s purely delicious. It’s mustard-y. It’s herb-y. The dressing is creamy, but not heavy. I think it’s best served at just slightly warmer than room temperature which allows the flavors to fully “bloom”.
And it’s a full-on bouquet of great flavor. I’ll definitely make this again. And I think the addition of a little fresh tarragon, really makes it, particularly if you’re serving it with BBQ chicken. So delicious.
This creamy potato salad with fresh herbs is a stunner. Love the extra kick from the horseradish and copious amount of fresh black pepper. I still consider my grandmother’s potato salad to be the best in show (obviously), but this is much better than the bland mayo-heavy versions that dominate the potato salad landscape.
It was delicious with grilled tuna.
Delicious creamy potato salad with fresh herbs. This will be on repeat in the summer. Easy to substitute seasoning and herbs, but perfect as it is. Wonderful instructions to cook your potatoes to get that perfect bite. Horseradish isn’t overpowering but gives a subtle hint. Lovely served with BBQ beef.
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Melissa Maedgen
This creamy potato salad with fresh herbs seems to have an identity crisis, but that is not a bad thing. The dressing has mayo, but is not a typical mayo-based dressing. It’s like a vinaigrette, except for that bit of mayo. And there is the horseradish. Not a typical German potato salad, nor a typical American one. And yet… it works.
Waxy potatoes hold together through boiling, giving you that toothsome, non-mushy texture that the best German salads have. The vinegar and parsley add that classic taste. But the mustard and mayo smack of the American south. All of this comes together to make one excellent melting pot of potato salad.