

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’.
- Prep: 40 mins
- Cook: 30 mins
- Yields: 8-10
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
Directions
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.