Barbecue time again chez nous. Hurrah! And once again I’m in search of a carbohydrate-based side dish that isn’t a roll or a baked potato. I considered doing potatoes in foil on the barbecue again, but we didn’t have much charcoal (!) so it seemed prudent to opt for a potato salad instead.
This combination of ingredients is one of my favourites in a potato salad. The herbs were picked fresh from our garden, which somehow makes them all the tastier – I’m sure this is entirely psychological! We have lots of herbs growing, but the best ones to choose are the ‘soft’ herbs like parsley, chives, dill, tarragon, marjoram etc. This time we used chives, which also add a lovely subtle onion-y flavour, tarragon and flat-leafed parsley.
The tangy flavour comes from the pickled cucumbers. Their sharpness cuts through the rich mayonnaise, and the cubes of pickle add a little crunch to the salad. Perfect.
I have been known in the past to add finely sliced spring onions, or a chopped hard boiled egg to this potato salad – they are both good additions. I love that the flavour comes out slightly differently each time, depending on the herbs you put in. Mmm.
I was pleased that Kipper ate some of this potato salad too. She loves mayonnaise as a dip, but often avoids dishes where the mayonnaise is mixed in – egg mayonnaise for instance is a big no-no, despite boiled eggs and mayonnaise being two of her favourite foods. Go figure. Anyway, she loved this potato salad and scoffed a big spoonful – alongside her barbecued vegetables and fish, of course!
I made this at the last minute, so it ended up being served slightly warm. This was in no way a bad thing. It was also good once it had cooled to room temperature, and leftovers were delicious fridge-cold.
Makes enough for 4 generous servings.
Tangy potato salad with garden herbs.
- 750g potatoes
- 3-4 tbsp diced pickled cucumber (3-4 cucumbers)
- 2-3 tbsp chopped garden herbs e.g. parsley, chives, tarragon, dill etc.
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper
- Peel the potatoes, rinse well, and cut into 1.5cm cubes. Boil for 6-8 minutes until just tender. Drain and refresh in cold water. Drain thoroughly.
- Combine the pickled cucumber, herbs and mayonnaise, and gently mix with the cooked potatoes, taking care not to break up the potato pieces.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve!
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