Provencal Potato Salad

One of my favourite food personalities has to be Ina Garten aka The Barefoot Contessa. I’ve always liked the casual manner of the show, the relative simplicity of the food and her knack for offering recipes that work in practice and deliver with taste!

In my quest to eat healthier, I looked for a potato salad that did not include Mayonnaise and I tripped upon Ina’s recipe as my inspiration. The two adjustments I made were adding chives and more creamy Dijon mustard.

For this recipe you will need:

6 pounds small white boiling potatoes
Coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons good dry white wine
2 tablespoons chicken stock
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic cloves, minced
3 teaspoon creamy Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup good olive oil
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then allow the potatoes to rest while you’re making the dressing.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the wine, chicken stock, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Set aside.

Cut your potatoes them into quarters or halves, depending on their size. Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl and pour enough dressing over them to moisten. (As the salad sits, you may need to add more dressing.) Add the onion, tarragon, chives and parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well, cover, and allow the dressing to get absorbed by the still warm potatoes. Set aside if they will be served soon or refrigerate however, allow the salad to get to room temperature again as I found them to be tastier in this state.