Description
A vibrant French-style potato and green bean salad featuring tender new potatoes, crisp green beans, hard-boiled eggs, and a tangy homemade vinaigrette infused with capers, olives, garlic, and Dijon mustard. This refreshing dish is perfect as a light lunch or a side salad and improves in flavor after resting.
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 eggs, hard-boiled
- 2 lbs (900g) new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 lb (450g) green beans, trimmed and cut into thirds
- 12 black olives (dry cured)
- 4-5 sprigs fresh flat parsley, stemmed and chopped
- 4-5 sprigs chives, chopped
Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup (75ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp (30ml) lemon juice
- 2 tbsp (30ml) white wine vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp chopped capers
- 1 tbsp chopped black olives (dry cured)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the hard-boiled eggs: Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a rapid boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover the pot, and let the eggs rest for 10 minutes. Carefully transfer the eggs to cold running water, peel, and slice into quarters.
- Cook potatoes and green beans: Slice potatoes in half or quarters if large. Place them in a large pot, cover with water by 1 inch, add 1 tbsp salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat to medium and simmer for 12 minutes until potatoes start to soften but not fully cooked. Add the green beans and cook for another 2-3 minutes until beans are crisp-tender and potatoes are easy to poke with a knife. Drain and immediately transfer to a large bowl of ice-cold water to stop cooking and preserve color.
- Prepare the vinaigrette: Combine olive oil, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, chopped capers, chopped black olives, salt, and black pepper in a jar. Shake vigorously until well combined.
- Assemble the salad: In a large serving bowl, mix the chopped parsley and chives with about half the vinaigrette. Add the drained potatoes, green beans, and whole black olives, tossing gently to coat everything evenly. Arrange the quartered hard-boiled eggs on top and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Rest and serve: For best flavor, refrigerate the salad for at least 24 hours to allow the dressing to penetrate. Serve chilled or at room temperature and enjoy.
Notes
- Use new potatoes for their tender texture and thin skins.
- Ice bath after cooking vegetables helps maintain vibrant color and stops overcooking.
- The salad tastes better after resting to let flavors develop.
- You can replace black olives with Kalamata olives for a more robust flavor.
- To save time, eggs can be hard-boiled in advance.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
