Ah, side dishes in 2021. Will it need to be outside for 10 hours? Does it need to be heated up? Can it have gluten? Dairy? Peanuts? Meat?
I think the benefit to this line of questioning is that we’re thinking about each other more, who can eat what, and working hard to be sure our offerings can feed lots of folks. That said, it can be tricky to find dishes that “have nothing” while still tasting delicious.
This vegan potato salad has a hint of salt and vinegar potato chips that is SO good, and the simplicity of the ingredients means that almost anyone can eat this dish. The flavors are HUGE without a huge ingredient list, and the entire potato salad can be prepped while the potatoes boil.
Vegan Potato Salad
PREP: 30 MINUTES COOK: 10 MINUTES
SERVES: 6-8
INGREDIENTS
2 ½ pounds gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
½ cup mixed fresh herbs, chopped
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Place the cut potatoes in a large pot. Cover with water by at least 2 inches and salt the water well. Bring the water to a boil and boil the potatoes uncovered for 7-10 minutes just until fork-tender but not mushy. Drain the potatoes and place them in a bowl to cool.
While the potatoes are boiling, I chop, slice, and measure the rest of the ingredients.
When the potatoes have cooled just slightly but are still warm, drizzle with the oil and vinegar. Add the salt and a few grinds or pinches of black pepper, and stir gently
to combine.
Taste the potatoes for seasoning. They should taste wonderful. If they’re a little bland or dry, add more salt, pepper, oil, or vinegar until you think “wow, that’s a really freaking good plain potato.” Salt is usually the answer here.
Add the herbs and scallions to the potatoes. Stir gently again, and taste once more to be sure the potato
salad is amazing.
Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold. Enjoy!
I use white distilled vinegar for this, but any mild vinegar you like will work well such as champagne vinegar or rice vinegar. Make sure to choose a plain, mild vinegar so that the flavors of the herbs and potatoes shine through.
Use any fresh herbs that you enjoy here! A mix of dill and parsley is my absolute favorite, but any soft green herb is delicious.
I make this in advance often, and sometimes the potatoes dry out a little bit. If that happens, add about a tablespoon each of oil and vinegar to bring the dish back to life, and let the potato salad come to room temperature before serving.