A lemony, dill-scented tzatziki dressing turns plain boiled potatoes into a refreshingly light, mayo-free summer lunch.
I don’t eat potato salad for lunch. That would be… unhealthy, irresponsible, gluttonous, and nutritionally unbalanced. However, I have found that when potato salad exists in the fridge, it has a way of becoming lunch, usually through a nibble that becomes a forkful which eventually leads to succumbing to the fact that potato salad, on occasion, makes a fine carb-bomb of a warm weather lunch.
two pounds, ready to boil
quartered tiny potatoes
Fortunately, there are entries in the potato salad archives for times just like these. Three years ago, I made a pesto potato salad with green beans and, so you know, adding green beans to potatoes totally makes it a balanced lunch. Last year, I made a spring salad with new potatoes — see how tricky I was there? It’s mostly salad, with early vegetables like asparagus, radishes, and sugar snaps but it’s also got a few potatoes in there and a sharp Dijon vinaigrette. And today, I made a tzatziki potato salad heaped with a pound of shredded, cold cucumber, lemon and garlic yogurt, and oh, there are some potatoes in there too. It’s as lunchy as potatoes can be and considering that I was able to make it in the all-too-slim margin between preschool drop-off, grocery shopping, and the post-preschool I’m-huuuungry-mama meltdown, I think it will be my go-to potato salad this summer, should the rains ever stop long enough for us to put some lamb skewers on the grill.
This is also a friend to mayo-phobes, you know who you are. I confess to being fascinated by the level of revolt many people feel towards mayonnaise. “It’s a classic French sauce!” I try to tell people. “It’s a simple emulsion of egg yolk and oil!” but nobody listens to me. “Just try to make it from scratch once and see if it still seems so terrible!” Alas, today I won’t even have to get on my soapbox because it turns out that yogurt (and a slip of sour cream) make a phenomenal, non-contentious dressing from things you likely already have in your fridge, and I imagine will be as welcome at your weekend cookouts as, well, you.
Mostly adapted from Ina Garten
Please forgive me, if you can, for running a recipe so close to one from a few years ago.* I cannot help it. When you find the tzatziki you want to spend the rest of your life with, you don’t go auditioning new ones on the side just in case. You just make it as often as you can and sometimes cold, boiled potatoes find their way in and those days, you get to call it lunch.
Three whole days before having a baby. Why was I cooking? Really, you should have had a talk with me about that.
Here’s what I love about this salad, aside from the fact that it’s a cinch to make: it’s cool and refreshing while so many potato salads are full of heft — the cucumber-dill-yogurt-lemon-garlic thing is like an edible air-conditioner. Such things come in handy during especially sticky NYC days.
Serves | Source | Key features | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
Not specified (author uses 4 lbs potatoes) | Mostly adapted from Ina Garten | Mayo-free; shredded cucumber; lemony yogurt-dill dressing | Keeps up to 3 days refrigerated |
Component | Ingredient | Amount / note |
|---|---|---|
Potatoes | Potatoes (small boiling varieties preferred; e.g., Yukon Gold) | 4 pounds |
Dairy & dressing | Greek yogurt | 1 3/4 cups (author used full-fat) |
Sour cream | 1/4 cup | |
Fresh lemon juice | 2 tbsp (from about 1/2 a large lemon) | |
White wine vinegar | 1 tbsp | |
Fresh dill, minced | 1 tbsp | |
Garlic clove, minced | 1 medium | |
Kosher salt | 2 tsp (author uses Diamond brand; adjust if using different salt) | |
Freshly ground black pepper | To taste | |
Cucumber | Hothouse or English cucumber, unpeeled, quartered lengthwise, seeds removed | ~1 lb (1 cucumber) |
Optional additions | Crumbled feta, chopped green olives, chopped fresh mint, minced hot chile | As desired |
In a medium pot, cover your potatoes with cold water and bring them to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-high and let the potatoes simmer until they are tender enough to be pierced easily with a skewer or slim knife. The author finds small potatoes done at roughly 30 minutes from the time they go on the stove cold, but advises checking 5–10 minutes earlier. Drain the potatoes and let them cool completely. (This is a great step to do ahead, as potatoes can take a long time to cool; if you’re in a rush, spread them on a tray and pop them in the freezer for 10 minutes.)
Meanwhile, in the bottom of a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, dill, garlic, salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
Grate the cucumber on a box grater (or use a food processor’s shredding blade) and try to remove excess moisture by squeezing handfuls, pressing the grated cucumber in a mesh sieve with a spoon, or wringing it in cheesecloth or a lint-free dish towel. Add the cucumber to the yogurt mixture.
Once the potatoes are cool, cut small ones into quarters or larger ones into generous chunks. Add the potatoes to the cucumber and yogurt and stir to coat. Add any extra ingredients desired, adjust seasonings to taste, and either eat immediately or keep in the fridge for up to three days.
Tip | Source text |
|---|---|
Cool potatoes completely before mixing — or speed-cool them by spreading on a tray and freezing for 10 minutes. | “Drain potatoes and let them cool completely… If you’re really in a rush, spread them on a tray and pop them in the freezer for 10 minutes.” |
Remove excess water from grated cucumber to avoid a watery salad. | “Try to remove some of the excess by squeezing out handfuls, pressing it in a mesh sieve… or wringing it in a square of cheesecloth.” |
This is a mayo-free salad — yogurt + a touch of sour cream make a bright, non-mayonnaise dressing. | “Yogurt (and a slip of sour cream) make a phenomenal… dressing.” |
Add-ins: try crumbled feta, chopped olives, mint or a minced chile for variations. | “More ideas for additions: Crumbled feta, chopped green olives, chopped fresh mint leaves or a minced hot chile.” |
Keeps: store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. | “Either eat immediately or keep in the fridge for up to three days.” |
