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French Potato Salad with Radishes, Cornichons, and Capers

By Rebecca Hays

Published on August 21, 2007

Time

45 minutes

Yield

Serves 6 as a side dish

French Potato Salad with Radishes, Cornichons, and Capers

Ingredients

2 pounds small red potatoes (about 2-inch diameter), unpeeled, scrubbed, and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices2 tablespoons table salt 1 medium clove garlic, peeled and threaded on skewer1 ½ tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar2 teaspoons Dijon mustard ¼ cup olive oil ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons minced red onion 2 radishes (medium red, about 1 ½ ounces), thinly sliced (about ⅓ cup)¼ cup capers, rinsed and drained¼ cup cornichons, thinly sliced

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 onions and the rest of the ingredients.

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Transfer potatoes to large serving bowl; add onion, radishes, capers, and cornichons; mix gently with rubber spatula to combine. Serve immediately.
French Potato Salad with Radishes, Cornichons, and Capers
Photography by Kritsada Panichgul. Styling by Ashley Moore.

French Potato Salad with Radishes, Cornichons, and Capers

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Time

45 minutes

Yield

Serves 6 as a side dish

Ingredients

2 pounds small red potatoes (about 2-inch diameter), unpeeled, scrubbed, and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons table salt
1 medium clove garlic, peeled and threaded on skewer
1 ½ tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 radishes (medium red, about 1 ½ ounces), thinly sliced (about ⅓ cup)
¼ cup capers, rinsed and drained
¼ cup cornichons, thinly sliced

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 pounds small red potatoes (about 2-inch diameter), unpeeled, scrubbed, and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons table salt
1 medium clove garlic, peeled and threaded on skewer
1 ½ tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 radishes (medium red, about 1 ½ ounces), thinly sliced (about ⅓ cup)
¼ cup capers, rinsed and drained
¼ cup cornichons, thinly sliced

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 pounds small red potatoes (about 2-inch diameter), unpeeled, scrubbed, and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons table salt
1 medium clove garlic, peeled and threaded on skewer
1 ½ tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 radishes (medium red, about 1 ½ ounces), thinly sliced (about ⅓ cup)
¼ cup capers, rinsed and drained
¼ cup cornichons, thinly sliced

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 onions and the rest of the ingredients.

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Transfer potatoes to large serving bowl; add onion, radishes, capers, and cornichons; mix gently with rubber spatula to combine. Serve immediately.

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