Without a doubt most of the potato salads we grew up and subsequently continued to make were nothing short of labors of love. Some of us often curse our way through the hours it takes to make them. But we remain gluttons for punishment because to make a treasonous change to the beloved, traditional potato salad would send some in the family off the deep end. "What do you mean you added dijon mustard?" "What do you mean you used a different kind of pickle?" "Why would you make any changes to the best, most favorite potato salad recipe ever?" For some reason potato salads seem to be one of those things deeply grounded in personal preferences, long standing family traditions, and complete irreverence for the eight hours you spent peeling, slicing, dicing, and mixing. But the world was upended eighteen months ago causing us to either hold on even tighter to those beloved family recipes or open us to the possibilities of the existence of extraordinary levels of deliciousness in new recipes. This Herbed Potato Salad may be a far cry from the one you grew up with, but it's the potato salad you never knew you have been missing out on. Until now.
Before I divulge the ingredients in this Herbed Potato Salad (no peaking ahead to the recipe), let me begin by (unintentionally) sending some of you over the deep end by shattering a few potato salad myths. All great potato salads must take hours to make, must have hard-boiled eggs in them, or must be finished with a light dusting of paprika. And yes, these myth busting words are coming from someone who has had a deep affection to, as well as, has probably eaten more potato/hard-boiled egg, sweet pickle, paprika finished potato salads than the average person consumes in their lifetime. So it is as a self-proclaimed potato salad fussytarian that I am here to tell you how deeply, madly in love I am with this Herbed Potato Salad. And it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it takes just a little more than an hour to make.
Okay, I have made you wait long enough. Baby red potatoes tossed in a creamy dressing made with mayonnaise, sour cream, dijon mustard, freshly squeezed lemon juice, creamy horseradish, Kosher salt, and black pepper topped with freshly chopped dill, green onions, fresh parsley and a light sprinkle of sea salt are the gateway ingredients to potato salad heaven.
One of the keys to a great potato salad is the texture of the potatoes. One bite of a too mushy or too hard potato and we immediately wonder how to strategically make that big helping we took disappear from our plates. Using baby red potatoes helps, in part, to preventing that from happening. Bringing lightly salted water to boil, then immediately reducing it to a simmer helps to evenly cook the potatoes. For the potato salad perfect potato cook them just until they knife (not fork) tender. Cooking time will range somewhere between 14-18 minutes depending on the size of your baby potatoes. If the skins on your potatoes begin to split, you may have cooked them a bit too long. Once a knife easily goes into the potatoes, remove from the heat and drain them immediately. I prefer to have the potatoes cool slightly on their own rather than running them under cold water before tossing them with the dressing.
The dressing for the potatoes is creamy and has the right amount of zing. The mayonnaise and sour cream both compliment and bring the right amount of coolness and balance to the flavors of the lemon juice, dijon mustard and the slightly zesty cream style horseradish. This wow-ser dressing was destined to be paired with baby red potatoes, freshly chopped dill, green onions, and parsley. Making for the kind of Herbed Potato Salad redefining the concept of a great potato salad. As well as being one that's a significant departure from those time-honored salads having a long-standing place at our tables.
One bite of this Herbed Potato Salad and I am almost certain any aversion you may have to the sometimes polarizing horseradish will have you now have you seeing it as the most brilliant, insanely delicious ingredient to have ever been added to potato salad. I have never before been more excited for you to try a recipe!
Last, but not least, serve this Herbed Potato Salad on a beautiful platter rather than in a bowl. Think of the platter as an added enticement for your family and friends to taste it. I promise they won't think you have lost your potato salad making mind. But just in case, have a life parachute ready for anyone who happens to fall of the edge.
Recipe
Herbed Potato Salad
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
2 pounds (920g) baby red potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 slightly heaping teaspoons of a cream style, fine cut horseradish (see notes)
1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons freshly minced dill
1 cup freshly chopped parsley
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
Flaky sea salt for finishing
Directions
1. In a medium-large sized pan, add the potatoes, cover with cold water and add 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the potatoes until knife tender. Cooking time could range between 14 and 18 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. Start checking them at the 14 minute mark so you don't over cook them. Remove from heat, drain and let cool slightly while you make the dressing.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, dijon mustard, lemon juice, Kosher salt, and pepper. Set aside momentarily.
3. Cut the slightly cooled potatoes in half and place in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add about 3/4s of the dressing and mix until the potatoes are coated. Note: The recipe makes a little more dressing than you need. Serve any reserved dressing on the side for those who want a little bit more.
5. Arrange the dressing coated potatoes on a serving platter.
6. Sprinkle on the green onions, dill, and parsley. Add a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
7. Serve and enjoy!
Notes: (1) Look for a cream style horseradish in the refrigerated section at the grocery. I used this one. (2) If possible, wait until you are ready to serve the potato salad to top it with the dill, parsley, and green onion. (3) If you like a saltier potato salad, taste the dressing before mixing it into the potatoes. I slightly under salted this potato salad. (4) Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator.