Tzatziki (Greek) Potato Salad by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan

July 16, 2021

This is a potato salad that is tangy and bright with yogurt and fresh herbs. The dressing is made with a grated

English/ seedless cucumber mixed with the yogurt, herbs, scallions and a touch of garlic. I have borrowed

a Julia Child ‘hack’ and mixed the apple cider vinegar with a bit of the potato cooking water and sprinkled

this over the cooked, cooling potatoes. The potatoes absorb a bit of their starch along with the diluted vinegar

as they cool. And yes, there is a bit of mayonnaise, just enough to add a touch of richness. But, feel free

to replace the mayo with sour cream, it will just be ‘tangier’.

Ingredients

2 1⁄2 – 3 pounds red potatoes

1 English/European/seedless cucumber, peeled

1 1⁄4 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice (plus more to taste)

1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed to a paste to yield about 1 teaspoon

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2- pieces scallions, washed, dried and separated into green & white parts

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 1 tablespoon dried dill)

1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint leaves (or 2 teaspoons crumbled, dried mint) 1⁄4 cup potato cooking water,

reserved after draining cooked potatoes

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

To start: Scrub the potatoes, making sure to remove any black-dirt spots. Cut the potatoes into uniform

2-inch pieces and add to a large pot. Cover the prepped potatoes with cold water. Bring the pot to a boil, stir

gently and reduce heat to a simmer. Add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt per gallon of cooking water. (I generally

add salt to cooking water after it has come to a boil, so I can be sure that the salt will quickly dissolve and

be evenly absorbed.) Simmer (at a low, gentle boil) for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are easily pierced

with the point of a knife. Keep checking the potatoes for doneness. This is the crucial aspect of a great potato

salad: perfectly cooked potatoes. When satisfied with the doneness of the potatoes, scoop them out of

the water with a slotted spoon or strainer and onto a sheet pan. Immediately measure 1⁄4 cup of the potato

cooking water and stir in the 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. And sprinkle (use a teaspoon) this mix allover

the potatoes. Also, sprinkle a bit of kosher salt over the cooling potatoes as well. The hot potatoes will

absorb the liquids and the salt.

You may have noticed that I did not tip the potatoes out of the pot into a strainer set in the sink. Why?

Because I did not want to risk smashing/crushing the cooked potatoes by tipping them out of the pot ‘en

masse’. This is a chef ‘hack’ to preserve the shape of the cooked spuds.

Set the potatoes aside to cool. Do not refrigerate.

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