Equipment
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 500 g new potatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
- 250 g green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 50 g red onion, thinly sliced
Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 45 ml balsamic vinegar
- 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 10 g dijon mustard
- 10 g maple syrup
- 3 g garlic, minced
- 3 g kosher salt
- 1 g black pepper, freshly ground
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 183 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 25 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 338 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Potassium
- 695 mg
- Calcium
- 73 mg
- Iron
- 4.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 49 mg
- Phosphorus
- 81 mg
- Zinc
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 22 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 23 mg
- Vitamin E
- 1.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 32 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.4 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.09 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.15 mg
- Niacin
- 1.8 mg
- Folate
- 44 mcg
- Water
- 184 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the quartered new potatoes in the large pot, cover with cold water, and add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil at 100°C/212°F and cook until easily pierced with a fork.
Carefully drop the green beans into the boiling water alongside the potatoes during the final three minutes of cooking. Cook until they turn bright green and tender-crisp.
Pour the vegetables into the colander and briefly rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking process while leaving the vegetables slightly warm.
In the mixing bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, minced garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper. Whisk vigorously until the dressing is fully emulsified and opaque.
Add the warm potatoes, green beans, and thinly sliced red onion to the mixing bowl containing the vinaigrette. Toss gently until all vegetables are evenly coated.
Let the salad rest at room temperature or transfer to the refrigerator to chill for thirty minutes, allowing the warm potatoes to absorb the flavors of the dressing.
Chef's Notes
- Tossing the potatoes with the vinaigrette while they are still warm is a crucial technique. The heat expands the starches, allowing them to drink in the dressing rather than just being coated by it.
- If the raw bite of the red onion is too intense for your palate, soak the slices in ice water for ten minutes before draining and adding to the salad to mellow their flavor.
- Using a lower ratio of olive oil compared to traditional vinaigrettes keeps the fat content down while relying on the starchy potatoes to help thicken the residual dressing.
- For an elevated presentation, garnish with fresh herbs like dill, flat-leaf parsley, or torn basil just prior to serving.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container. Flavors will continue to develop overnight.
Reheating: Best served chilled or at room temperature.
Troubleshooting
Potatoes are falling apart and turning to mush in the salad
Cause: Potatoes were boiled for too long or stirred too aggressively while mixing
Fix: Cannot be fixed. Consider mashing slightly to intentionally create a rustic, smashed potato salad texture
Prevention: Begin checking the potatoes with a fork after ten minutes of boiling and toss gently during assembly
Vinaigrette separates into oil and vinegar pools
Cause: Insufficient whisking or skipped mustard
Fix: Whisk in an extra quarter teaspoon of Dijon mustard directly into the salad
Prevention: Ensure mustard is included as an emulsifier and whisk vigorously
Cultural Context
Potato salads have diverse roots across European cuisines, most notably settling into American picnic traditions as a heavy, mayonnaise-based side dish. This vinaigrette-based variation nods to Mediterranean influences, offering a lighter, acid-forward alternative that suits warm weather dining and allows the natural flavors of summer produce to shine.
