Whole Grain Mustard Potato Salad

Adding mustard to potato salad gives the old standby a fresh new look and taste.  It’s a nod to how the French do potato salad, that is, with no mayo and lots of tangy dressing instead.  The contrast of the sweet nutty mache lettuce leaves against the mustard spiked potatoes is a nice change of pace from traditionally dressed potato salads. 

You can make it with any creamy potatoes you’d like, but baby new potatoes or fingerlings are the best.  Once boiled, the potatoes are tossed with the dressing to allow them to soak up all the wonderful flavors then added to the lettuce leaves.  Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredient Notes:

(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe.  As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

• Potatoes – Use baby or fingerling potatoes.
• Lettuce Leaves – I like tender mache lettuce for this salad. If you haven’t tried mache lettuce before, it’s a little lettuce with bunches of tiny round leaves and a mild nutty taste.  It’s sweet and tender without any of the bitterness of arugula or watercress which is why I like it here, but if you can’t find it either of those will do as well.
• Vinegar – You can use either apple cider or white wine vinegar.
• Lemon Juice – Use fresh lemon juice.
• Olive Oil – Use your favorite extra virgin olive oil.
• Mustard – You’ll need a whole grain Dijon mustard.
• Maple Syrup – You can use either maple syrup or coconut nectar.
• Capers - Salt packed capers are the best but brined work as well.  Be sure to rinse them well and pat them dry before using.
• Chives – A sprinkling of chopped chives brings freshness to the salad.

How to Make a Whole Grain Mustard Potato Salad:

(Here are the basic steps and some helpful tips on how to make the recipe.  Find the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

1. Start by cooking the potatoes in a large pot with salt and water to cover. Simmer the potatoes until just fork tender, drain, then let them cool slightly (the potatoes should still be warm to the touch before dressing).
2. Whisk together the dressing, then transfer the cooked potatoes to a large bowl and drizzle with half the dressing and toss to coat.
3. The finishing touch is a sprinkling of fried capers.  They take just a minute to make but add an unexpected bit of crunch and nutty, briny flavor.  Fried in a bit of olive oil the caper buds open like little flowers and become golden and crisp.  Once you taste how delicious they are, you’ll want to put them on everything! To make them heat a thin layer of olive oil in a small skillet, add the capers and cook, stirring occasionally, until popped and crisp, the transfer them to a clean towel to drain.
4. Add the mache to a large bowl and toss with remaining dressing . Top with dressed potatoes, chives and fried capers and serve.

Here’s to those last summer days!

More Potato Salads:

• Herbed Potato Salad
• French Potato Salad
• Dill Potatoes