Once again, our PTO offered up dinner for the teachers at our school during conferences – since they’re there from 8am until well after 9pm on these nights with little to no break, it’s the least we can do for them. In addition to the Mexican themed night where I made my Mexican sheetcake brownies and elotes, there was also a French themed night. When they asked for a French potato salad, I knew that was where I was going to provide my contribution.
I love potato salad, but only in small doses because it tends to be so rich and filling. The exception for me is French potato salad which isn’t flavored with mayonnaise or anything quite so heavy. Instead it relies on wine and vinegar, along with a bit of olive oil for its dressing. It isn’t quite so rich, and this I can sit and eat happily until I fall into a carb coma.
The fact that it’s easy to make and comes together quickly means that this is one of those dishes that I’ll throw together when I decide last minute to host a barbecue at my house or when I need to make a dish for a ton of people, like for our teachers. The recipe easily doubles to use a full five pound bag of potatoes, but I usually make just half a bag and it serves plenty.
Best of all, this is a recipe that is vegan and gluten free, meaning it’s a great dish to serve in company or when you are around those with an allergy. While that wasn’t my mission when I played around with this recipe, it is certainly a benefit I take advantage of, given the number of people I know with various food issues.
When I’m making my potato salad, I don’t peel my potatoes, as I’m using a thin-skinned potato like a new potato or another waxy potato like my favorite red potatoes. I love that many bags of potatoes sold in my grocery store now list whether they are waxy or starchy and what they are best used for. In this potato salad, you definitely want to go for waxy.
Herbed French Potato Salad
Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs waxy potatoes
2 shallots, minced
3 T dry white wine (not a cooking wine but one you will drink once you’ve used this little bit)
1/4 c white wine vinegar
3 T parsley, chopped
1 T chives, chopped
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Place a large pot on your stove and fill about halfway with cold water and add 3 T salt. Wash your potatoes, and slice them into 1/4 inch slices. For the larger potatoes, cut the slices in half so they will comfortably fit in your mouth when enjoying the potato salad. As you cut, place the slices into the water to prevent them from turning brown.
Once you have all your potatoes in the water, bring the water to a simmer. Let your potatoes simmer for 3-4 minutes. Check them to see if they are cooked enough – you want potatoes that aren’t raw still but haven’t gotten too soft, just like your pasta. Once they are cooked, drain your potatoes and immediately add them to your bowl. Cover with a second bowl or tin foil while you prep your veggies.
Peel and mince two shallots and add to your bowl with the potatoes, then cover again. Chop your chives and parsley, and set them aside.
Add your white wine and the vinegar to the potatoes and stir carefully so you don’t break up the potatoes. Make sure you do this while your potatoes are still hot so they absorb the liquids and the flavor you are adding. Let this sit, covered, for ten to fifteen minutes, stirring periodically.
Add the parsley and chives, as well as salt and pepper to taste and stir again. Drizzle in your olive oil and stir one last time. Taste test and decide if you need to add more salt, pepper, vinegar or olive oil.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve the next day. This is, of course, a salad that only gets better the second day. And since it has no mayonnaise in it, it is perfect for a summer afternoon cookout.

Herbed French Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds waxy potatoes
- 2 shallots minced
- 3 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon chives chopped
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place a large pot on your stove, fill about halfway with cold water and add 3 tablespoons alt. Wash your potatoes, and slice them into 1/4 inch slices. For the larger potatoes, cut the slices in half so they will comfortably fit in your mouth when enjoying the potato salad. As you cut, place the slices into the water to prevent them from turning brown.2 1/2 pounds waxy potatoes
- Once you have all your potatoes in the water, bring the water to a simmer. Let your potatoes simmer for 3-4 minutes. Check them to see if they are cooked enough - you want potatoes that aren't raw still but haven't gotten too soft, just like your pasta. Once they are cooked, drain your potatoes and immediately add them to your bowl. Cover with a second bowl or tin foil while you prep your veggies.
- Peel and mince two shallots and add to your bowl with the potatoes, then cover again. Chop your chives and parsley, and set them aside.2 shallots
- Add your white wine and vinegar to the potatoes and stir carefully so you don't break up the potatoes. Make sure you do this while your potatoes are still hot so they absorb the liquids and the flavor you are adding. Let this sit, covered, for ten to fifteen minutes, stirring periodically.3 tablespoons dry white wine, 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- Add the parsley and chives, as well as salt and pepper to taste and stir again. Drizzle in your olive oil and stir one last time. Taste test and decide if you need to add more salt, pepper, vinegar or olive oil.3 tablespoons parsley, 1 teaspoon chives, salt and pepper, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve the next day. This is, of course, a salad that only gets better the second day. And since it has no mayonnaise in it, it is perfect for a summer afternoon cookout.
Notes
- When you cook with wine, use a wine that you want to drink later. You don't want the cheapest wine you can find or anything labeled "cooking wine" - the flavor of the wine you use here will come through in the end dish. This is the general rule anytime you cook with wine.
- The easiest way to get even slices? Use a food processor. This is one of my favorite tools when slicing and chopping veggies. Use the slicing blade and set it to the appropriate thickness, then go for it.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.
[…] and I’ve made everything for teacher dinners during parent teacher conferences from an herbed potato salad to chicken tortilla soup and everything in […]