French potato salads are made with a mustard vinaigrette and lots of fresh herbs to dress waxy new potatoes. Most American potato salads are made with a mayonnaise base as the dressing. Both are delicious. The French potato salad is best served at room temperature, making it perfect for an outdoor picnic gathering with no worries of the mayonnaise getting too warm for safe serving temperature.
In this recipe, I have taken a twist on tradition by adding steamed broccoli. If broccoli is not for you but like the idea of adding a vegetable, steamed green beans would be more traditional.
For a quick and easy method to steam the added vegetables, click here to learn that process.
I used my standard Chez Cindy vinaigrette recipe using white wine vinegar and olive oil, with Dijon mustard and honey.
French Potato Salad with Broccoli
1 pound bite-size red-skin and new potatoes
3 cups broccoli florets, steamed
1 small shallot, minced
3 tablespoons fresh herbs (tarragon, parsley, chives)
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons Chez Cindy vinaigrette
Scrub the potatoes well, leaving the skins on. Place the whole potatoes into a saucepan, filling the pan with cold water to cover the potatoes by 1/2-inch. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat cooking the potatoes until they are just tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain and allow to cool.
Steam the broccoli, cool to room temperature. Tear the florets into small bite-size pieces. Mince the shallot. Tear or rough chop the fresh herbs. Make the vinaigrette.
Putting it all together: Place the cooked potatoes and the broccoli into a medium size bowl. Add in the minced shallot, fresh herbs, and salt, gently tossing all together. Pour the vinaigrette over the mixture, tossing gently to coat the potatoes, broccoli and herbs. The potato salad can be served immediately or kept at room temperature for use within 1-2 hours.
Recipe can be doubled if desired.