Niçoise Potato Salad
This is one of those go-to salad recipes that I come back to over and over again, especially in the warmer months. It is loaded with textural variety and explosive, punchy flavors, and it's perfect for a make-ahead lunch, casual dinner, or backyard barbecue.
Equipment
- Pot and lid medium size, for boiling the potatoes and veggies
- Cutting board and knife to chop the veggies
- mixing bowl medium - large, for building the dressing and tossing everything together
Ingredients
- 1 lb small new potatoes or another waxy potato, Yukon Gold is fine, avoid russets
- 10 to 15 green beans or the equivalent amount of asparagus or another green veggie
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 8 to 10 black olives Kalamata or Niçoise
- 1 can tuna water-packed or oil-packed
For the dressing
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 anchovy or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt + more for boiling the potatoes
- Black pepper a few cracks
- 1 egg soft-boiled, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes: Halve or quarter the potatoes (depending on size). Boil in well-salted water until they’re almost tender. No need to peel.
- Prep the mix-ins: Drain the tuna, pit and tear up the olives, halve the tomatoes, and cut the green beans (or asparagus, or another green veg) into chunky pieces.
- Optional - cook eggs: If using eggs, gently lower them into the pot with the potatoes for the last 7 minutes of cooking.
- Make the dressing: In a mixing bowl, mash the anchovy with a fork, and mince or grate in the garlic. Add Dijon, red wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt, a few cracks of pepper, and olive oil. Mix until mostly smooth.
- Cook the green beans: Add the green beans to the potato pot for the last 2 minutes of cooking time so they steam on top of the potatoes. They should still be bright green and crisp-tender.
- Drain and cool: Drain the potatoes and beans (and eggs, if using). Let everything cool until you they’re no longer steaming. For the potatoes and beans, spread them out on a baking sheet so they cool quickly. For the eggs, run them under cold water for a minute or so to stop the cooking.
- Dress the salad: Toss the potatoes, beans, tomatoes, olives, and tuna with the dressing until everything is coated.
- Adjust seasoning: Taste, then add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Finish (optional): Top with a soft-boiled egg (or a jammy egg).
Notes
- The potato cooking timing will depend on how small or large you cut the potatoes. Smaller pieces will take ~15 minutes, whereas larger pieces will take 20-25 minutes.
- For faster cooling, spread the potatoes and beans on a baking sheet.
- If using eggs, run them under cold water for a minute or two to stop the cooking.
- Skip rinsing the potatoes in cold water, it can make them water-logged.
- Want the dressing fully emulsified? Add the oil slowly while whisking.
Nutrition
Calories: 278.8kcalCarbohydrates: 26.4gProtein: 13.6gFat: 13.8gSaturated Fat: 2.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.7gMonounsaturated Fat: 9.3gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 56.8mgSodium: 592.8mgPotassium: 873.3mgFiber: 4.1gSugar: 4.4gVitamin A: 793.9IUVitamin C: 51.3mgCalcium: 55.7mgIron: 3mg
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