French-Style Potato and Green Bean Salad
With crisp greens and tender potatoes, this French-Style Potato and Green Bean Salad is a satisfying yet light salad that yields bold Mediterranean flavors. As per French tradition, it is not tossed in mayo, but instead a delicious, zippy French-style vinaigrette spiked with briny olives, capers and fresh herbs. It’s a great side dish for gatherings or potlucks. Add hard-boiled eggs on top to make it the perfect warm-weather lunch! What type of potatoes are best for this salad? I recommend you make this salad with any type of small new…
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 25 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 eggs, hard-boiled (instruction below)
- 2lbs (900g) new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1lb (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
- For the 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)½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Step 1 – Make the hard boiled eggs. Add eggs to a saucepan. Cover with water by 1 inch and bring to a rapid boil. Boil for 1 minute and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Carefully removed eggs from the water and rinse under cold water. Once cooled, peel the eggs under running cool water and slice into quarters.
- 2
Step 2 – Slice the small potatoes in half, or in quarters if larger. Place them in a large pot and cover by 1 inch with water. Add 1 tbsp of salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 12 minutes until the potatoes are tender but not completely cooked. Add the green beans and continue to boil for another 2-3 minutes, until the beans are crisp and you can easily poke a knife into the potatoes. Drain immediately into a colander/strainer and transfer into a large bowl of ice-cold water. This is meant to stop the cooking process and retain the bright green color of the beans.
- 3
Step 3 – Make the vinaigrette. In a jar, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, chopped capers, chopped black olives, salt and black pepper. Shake well to combine.
- 4
Step 4 – In a serving bowl, add the herbs and mix with about half the amount of the vinaigrette. Add the cooked potatoes, green beans and olives and toss to combine. Top with the egg quarters and drizzle the remaining dressing over top (you may use all the rest of the dressing, or less). Season to taste, if needed.
- 5
The salad gets even better after 24 hours because it soaks up the flavors of the dressing. Enjoy room temperature or cold.