Dill is often dwarfed by basil, but it’s one of the tastiest herbs around. Every year we grow dill in our garden and I’m always itching to find ways to use it. And this dill potato salad is a knock-out. Think: tangy potatoes, drenched in a naturally creamy sauce made with olive oil and vinegar, punchy fresh herbs, and savory capers to round it out. Like the German potato salad I grew up with, this dill potato salad has no dairy to speak of, making it vegan and plant-based too. And man is it flavorful! It disappeared very quickly at our house. Here are our secrets!
The secrets to a great dill potato salad
Alex and I modeled this dill potato salad off of our French potato salad, inspired by Julia Child. It’s a potato salad with no mayo: it features a simple sauce of olive oil and vinegar. Now, the way that the seasoning is added to the potatoes makes it into a naturally creamy, gooey texture. Here’s what we learned from Julia Child on the best way to make a dill potato salad that’s full of serious flavor:
First, boil the potatoes whole until they’re fork tender. Drain and allow them to cool, then when they’re cool enough to touch cut them into bite-sized pieces. Place the warm potatoes in a bowl and mix them with white wine vinegar, shallot, kosher salt, and here’s the kicker: ½ cup warm water. Let this mixture stand for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The potatoes will absorb the water and and a runny sauce will form! (If you didn’t add water, the potatoes would simply dry out.)After the rest time, then add the olive oil, capers and herbs and mix to combine. The potatoes will continue to break down a little and form a gooey texture.
How to grow herbs
Dill is a fantastic herb to grow at home. If it’s growing season and you have space for some pots on a sunny ledge, you can grow dill! Or if you have garden space, even better. You’ll want full sun for dill: it’s easy to mix in a pot with other herbs like basil, chives, oregano and thyme (our favorites!). For more on how to grow herbs, see How to Grow Herbs.
Best dill recipes
As I mentioned above, Alex and I are huge dill fans! It’s herbaceous, it’s summery, and the flavor conjures up feelings of flip flops and warm summer afternoons (to me, at least)! Outside of this dill potato salad, here are the best dill recipes we’ve got:
Cucumber Salad with Vinegar: The true definition of summer! This salad features thinly sliced cucumbers and onions in a tangy vinegar sauce, punctuated by fronds of dill. Quick Refrigerator Dill Pickles: What’s a more classic dill recipe than pickles? This is our favorite refrigerator pickle that comes together in no time.Yogurt Dill Sauce This yogurt dill sauce is based on the traditional Greek tzatziki, but without cucumber for simplicity. It’s perfect for dipping veggie balls and slathering on falafel burgers.Green Bean Potato Salad with Dill: Here’s another dill potato salad; this one features green beans and feta cheese.Dill Bean Salad: Another great summer salad: the bean salad–dressed up with dill.Cucumber Dill Sandwiches: What’s more picnic friendly than cucumber dill sandwiches? These mini open faced sandwiches are spread with cream cheese and topped with cucumber and dill sprigs.
This dill potato salad recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free, and vegan.
Looking for more salad recipes?
Outside of this chopped salad recipe, here are a few of our favorite salads on A Couple Cooks: 4 from 1 review
The BEST Kale SaladWatermelon Salad with Feta & CucumberMozzarella Tomato Basil SaladGrilled Caesar Salad or Perfect Caesar SaladBalsamic Tomato SaladBlackberry Salad with Balsamic VinaigretteGreek Orzo SaladBlack Bean SaladStrawberry Spinach SaladWedge Salad with Potato ChipsMexican Coleslaw RecipeFavorite Potato SaladRadish Chopped Salad RecipeKale Caesar SaladFrench Potato SaladEasy Salad Bar Ideas45 Easy Potluck Recipes Best Creamy Coleslaw
