Potato salad sometimes has a reputation as a drab side dish—bland, boiled potatoes in a soupy mayonnaise sauce. I don’t waste time with such things. I prefer a potato salad with flavorful ingredients and just enough dressing to hold it together. This classic Olivier potato salad is a dream of a side dish and will be on my menu all season long!
History of Olivier Potato Salad
This salad is believed to have been invented by Chef Lucien Olivier in Russia in the 1800s. It’s said that the dish was so popular that one of his sous chefs tried to steal the recipe. Chef Olivier published his full recipe later, featuring ingredients like grouse, crayfish tails, and aspic.
Over the years, the salad has become popular throughout Eastern Europe and has been adapted to use modern, easily available ingredients.
Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
Ingredients for Olivier Potato Salad
- As you may have guessed, potatoes are the base for this salad. I like to use peeled Yukon potatoes, but any potato will work.
- For other vegetables, I like to use carrots and fresh English peas (or substitute frozen peas). I blanche them so that they are not raw but still have a slight crunch.
- Other add-ins for this salad include hard-boiled eggs, which adds to its creaminess, and diced ham. I frequently don’t add the ham as I feel like the salad has great flavor without the meat, but it is traditional in this recipe.
- While some versions of this recipe call for pickles, I like to mix in fresh dill which adds a bright, herbal flavor to the salad.
Make It Ahead
This salad is great at room temperature right when you stir it together, but like most potato salads, the flavors benefit from some chilling time. This makes it good for preparing ahead. Once you have everything mixed together, this salad will keep in the fridge for 4 days.
Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
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