French Potato Salad
on Aug 11, 2019, Updated Jul 10, 2025
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This mayo-free potato salad is very clean-tasting, with fresh herbs, a touch of mustard, and a lovely vinaigrette dressing.
French potato salad is a lighter, more elegant cousin of the classic American mayo-based version. Instead of a creamy dressing, it’s tossed with a vinaigrette, usually made with olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, shallots, and herbs. Dress the potatoes while they are still warm, so they soak up all the flavor from the dressing. It’s tangy and savory, usually served room temperature or chilled, making it perfect for make-ahead meals, buffets, and picnics.
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Best Potatoes for French Potato Salad
You will want to use waxy, non-starchy potatoes for potato salad, which tend to hold their shape better. They also have thin skins, which means you don’t have to peel them unless you want to.
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For this salad, I went with baby potatoes and cut them into 1/4-inch slices before cooking them until tender. You could definitely go with larger waxy potatoes, red, white, or yellow. You can cut those into 1/2 inch cubes, or cut them into quarters, and then slice the quartered potatoes 1/4-inch thick.
Tips for Making French Potato Salad
- Don’t overcook the potatoes, as they will start to fall apart. Even as they cool in the dressing, they will continue to soften slightly, so make sure to take them out just at the point of tenderness.
- Once you drain the potatoes, spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet or tray of some kind. Drizzle the dressing evenly over the potatoes. When they are slightly cooled, toss the potatoes in the dressing on the baking sheet. Spread them out again and let the whole thing come to room temperature. Transfer to a serving dish and serve at room temperature.
- Dress the potatoes while they are still warm: Make sure to finish the dressing while the potatoes are simmering, because you will want to pour the olive oil and vinegar-based dressing over the potatoes while they are still warm, so they soak up the dressing nicely.
What to Serve With French Potato Salad
- Grilled Peppers
- Spanish Lamb Burgers with Romesco Sauce and Caramelized Onions
- Grilled Marinated NY Strip Steak
- Barbecued Chicken
- Grilled Salmon
- Cajun Ribs (pictured below)
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French Potato Salad
Ingredients
- Kosher salt to taste
- 3 pounds baby potatoes (scrubbed and sliced 1/4-inch thick)
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ½ cup minced scallions (white and green parts)
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup minced parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced basil
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon minced dill
- Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, adjusting the heat so the potatoes stay at a simmer, about 8 minutes. Drain and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, scallions, shallots, mustard, parsley, basil, thyme, dill, and salt and pepper.
- Pour the vinaigrette over the warm potatoes on a baking sheet and gently toss and spread them out again. Allow the potatoes to cool to room temperature, and soak up the dressing. Adjust seasonings to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve at room temperature.
Can this be made the night before?
yes, absolutely – bring it to room temperature before serving.
How many servings is this?
It serves 8! The serving size is hiding under the headnote (and will be more obviously when the site is redesigned in January!)