French Potato Salad with Fennel, Tomato, and Olives
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 22, 2007
Time
45 minutes
Yield
Serves 6 as a side dish
Ingredients
Before You Begin
For best flavor, serve the salad warm, but to make ahead, follow the recipe through step 2, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Before serving, bring the salad to room temperature, then add the shallots and other ingredients. When chopping the fennel fronds, use only the delicate wispy leaves, not the tough, fibrous stems to which they are attached.
Instructions
- Place potatoes, 6 cups cold tap water, and salt in large saucepan; bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium. Lower skewered garlic into simmering water and partially blanch, about 45 seconds. Immediately run garlic under cold tap water to stop cooking; remove garlic from skewer and set aside. Continue to simmer potatoes, uncovered, until tender but still firm (thin-bladed paring knife can be slipped into and out of center of potato slice with no resistance), about 5 minutes. Drain potatoes, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water. Arrange hot potatoes close together in single layer on rimmed baking sheet.
- Press garlic through garlic press or mince by hand. Whisk garlic, reserved potato cooking water, vinegar, mustard, oil, and pepper in small bowl until combined. Drizzle dressing evenly over warm potatoes; let stand 10 minutes.
- While potatoes are standing, trim fennel bulb of stalks and fronds; roughly chop fronds (you should have about 1/4 cup). Halve bulb lengthwise; using paring knife, core one half of bulb, reserving second half for another use. Cut half crosswise into very thin slices.
- Toss shallot and parsley in small bowl. Transfer potatoes to large serving bowl; add shallot/parsley mixture, fennel, tomato, and olives; mix gently with rubber spatula to combine. Serve immediately.
Time
45 minutesYield
Serves 6 as a side dishIngredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We wanted a French potato salad recipe that would be pleasing not only to the eye but to the palate. The potatoes would have to be tender but not mushy, and the flavor of the vinaigrette would have to penetrate the relatively bland potatoes. To fulfill these potato salad recipe requirements, we sliced the potatoes before boiling them, eliminating torn skins and broken slices. Then we poured a vinaigrette flavored with mustard and garlic over warm potatoes spread on a sheet pan, folding in fines herbes before serving.
Before You Begin
For best flavor, serve the salad warm, but to make ahead, follow the recipe through step 2, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Before serving, bring the salad to room temperature, then add the shallots and other ingredients. When chopping the fennel fronds, use only the delicate wispy leaves, not the tough, fibrous stems to which they are attached.
Instructions
- Place potatoes, 6 cups cold tap water, and salt in large saucepan; bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium. Lower skewered garlic into simmering water and partially blanch, about 45 seconds. Immediately run garlic under cold tap water to stop cooking; remove garlic from skewer and set aside. Continue to simmer potatoes, uncovered, until tender but still firm (thin-bladed paring knife can be slipped into and out of center of potato slice with no resistance), about 5 minutes. Drain potatoes, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water. Arrange hot potatoes close together in single layer on rimmed baking sheet.
- Press garlic through garlic press or mince by hand. Whisk garlic, reserved potato cooking water, vinegar, mustard, oil, and pepper in small bowl until combined. Drizzle dressing evenly over warm potatoes; let stand 10 minutes.
- While potatoes are standing, trim fennel bulb of stalks and fronds; roughly chop fronds (you should have about 1/4 cup). Halve bulb lengthwise; using paring knife, core one half of bulb, reserving second half for another use. Cut half crosswise into very thin slices.
- Toss shallot and parsley in small bowl. Transfer potatoes to large serving bowl; add shallot/parsley mixture, fennel, tomato, and olives; mix gently with rubber spatula to combine. Serve immediately.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Key Equipment
More Like This
Keep Exploring
0 Comments