Skip to main content

Jacques's French Potato Salad

4.6

(45)

Image may contain Dating Human Person Advertisement Paper Brochure Flyer Poster and People
Jacques's French Potato SaladCookbook cover image courtesy of Random House

Recipe information

  • Yield

    About 6 cups, serving 4 to 6

Ingredients

2 pounds fingerling potatoes or other small waxy potatoes
1/2 cup or so extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup 1/4-inch slices of scallion, green and white parts
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, mashed and coarsely chopped (1 1/2 tsp)
1/3 cup white wine
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped chives
2 tablespoons or more coarsely chopped fresh green or purple basil, fresh tarragon, or parsley
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more if needed
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper (coarse), plus more if needed

For serving and garnishing

Large radicchio leaves, about 6, from the outside of the head
1 or 2 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
Chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Scrub the potatoes and put them, whole, in a saucepan with water to cover by 1/2 inch. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook the potatoes gently until they are just tender and can be pierced with a sharp knife. Drain immediately and let cool slightly. (Scrape the skin from the cooked potatoes, if you want, as soon as they can be handled. For a decorative look with fingerlings, scrape off only a band of skin, about 1/2 inch thick, all around the long sides of the potato.)

  2. Step 2

    Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a small saute pan. When hot, add the scallions and the onion, toss to coat well, and cook for about a minute over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, toss to mix, and cook for just a few moments, then remove the pan from the heat.

  3. Step 3

    Slice the potatoes while still warm, cutting them crosswise into 1/2-inch sections. Put the pieces in a large mixing bowl, pour the wine and 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil over them, and toss gently to distribute. Add the warm vegetables from the pan, mustard, chives, chopped herbs, salt, and pepper, and gently fold all together, mixing well but not crushing the potatoes. Taste the salad and add more seasonings as you like.

  4. Step 4

    Serve the potatoes warm (no colder than room temperature). Arrange the large radicchio leaves, if you have them, in a close circle on the serving platter, with their curved insides up, to form a rough bowl. Spoon the potato salad inside the leaves, sprinkle chopped egg around the edges, and parsley over the top.

Excerpted from Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. Copyright © 1999 by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.
Read More
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
This one-pot dinner cooks chicken thighs directly on top of a bed of flavorful cilantro rice studded with black beans for a complete dinner.
Put that half-full tub to use with recipes that go beyond the Italian American classics.
Like Sri Lankan cashew curry and vegan stuffed shells.
Glossy, intensely chocolaty, and spiked with coffee and sour cream, this Bundt is the ultimate all-purpose dessert.
Filberts, goobers, scaly bark nuts: Explore the world beyond almonds in this guide.
Use this simple vinaigrette to dress a plate of greens, some steamed potatoes, or anything else that strikes your fancy.