Stop making the same old, boring potato salad! That is, unless you want to bore your guests or family to death. Instead, serve them my amazing Tangy Herbed Potato Salad made with roasted potatoes. You’ll love how the fresh herbs combine with the flavor of the roasted potatoes. And, when you combine it all with a touch of red wine vinegar, you’ll have an amazing tangy side dish the whole crowd will love! Plus, it’s a lot healthier than your standard potato salad.
I am going to teach you a little trick so that you will have the best potato salads in the entire world (including my Tangy Herbed Potato Salad; don’t worry, it’s coming). Not just the recipe I am about to tell you about but ANY potato salad. The trick is….wait for it….here it comes…..you must put HOT potatoes into a tangy vinegar dressing.
You CANNOT cool the potatoes. Please do not ignore my suggestion. If the potatoes are hot when you roll them around in oil and vinegar, they absorb the flavors like a sponge. And the resulting potato salad, no matter what you later add too it to spark it up, will be off the charts delicious.
This Tangy Herbed Potato Salad uses roasted potatoes because frankly, I have never seen the wisdom in boiling potatoes. For any reason. Just my personal opinion. Why boil all the flavor out of them and leave it in the water. I even roast potatoes before I mash them. Because… I am just crazy like that.
So these potatoes, they need a few minutes in the microwave to soften. Ten to be exact. Why microwave the first you ask? Because I think they get creamier on the inside that way. If you just stick them in the oven to roast, they get a bit TOO brown because they have to be cooked until they are tender, and you don’t want that, do you?
So microwave first, give them a quick little coating in a little oil and butter and pop them in the oven to roast them. Then comes their vinegar and oil bath with herbs and salt and pepper. You can stop right there and have an amazing Tangy Herbed Potato Salad, or you can go on and add a bit of mayo and sour cream and turn this into a more traditional version. The nice thing about this recipe is that if you omit the mayo and sour cream, you can take the salad outside and you don’t have to get all nervous about the weather and the heat, etc. But, if you are eating this indoors and not having a picnic, feel free to add the mayo and sour cream.
I like options. So here are options. But the hot potatoes in the vinegar and oil is not an option. Ok? You just have to do it. Thanks for taking my advice.
Tangy Herbed Potato Salad
This potato salad has so much flavor because the roasted potatoes are soaked in a tangy vinegar dressing. You can make it with or without mayo and sour cream if you want something lighter or a good picnic dish that doesn't need refrigeration.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds petite potatoes Yukon Gold, Red, Purple or mixed
- ½ cup olive oil divided
- 1 tablespoon butter room temperature
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup mixed herbs finely chopped such as dill, cilantro, basil, rosemary, parsley and thyme
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise preferably Hellmann’s (optional)
- 2 tablespoons sour cream optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees and cover two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Pierce each potato with a sharp knife so it does not explode in the microwave. Microwave all the potatoes for ten minutes.
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While the potatoes are cooking, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the butter in a large bowl. Remove the potatoes from the microwave, cut them in half and toss them in the olive and butter mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
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Place the potatoes, skin side up on the baking pans and set the bowl aside. Place in the oven and cook them for 25 minutes until they are roasted and brown but not overcooked. They should hold their shape.
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While the potatoes are baking, put the remainder of the olive oil, herbs, vinegar, and salt and pepper back in the same bowl and mix well.
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Remove the potatoes from the oven and immediately put them in the oil and herb mixture. Toss them with the dressing and let cool. You can serve the potato salad warm or at room temperature.
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If you would like a creamy potato salad, add the mayonnaise and sour cream to the mixture in the bowl after it has cooled slightly, about 15 minutes. It is best to serve this as soon as possible so that it will have a great flavor and texture.
