French Potato Salad with Green Beans (Gluten-Free)

This French Potato Salad with Green Beans is the perfect mayo-free salad for summer barbecues, it is also great any time of the year! Bright and filled with delicious vegetables, you can modify this to accommodate the ingredients you have in your kitchen.

I have shared my old-fashioned version of potato salad on the blog, so I thought I would make another of my favorite varieties for you today. It is bright, beautiful and packed with flavor, just perfect for a vegetarian meal or side dish with your preferred meats and poultry. And it contains no mayonnaise, a bonus for The Artist who doesn’t care for it!

Today’s theme for the Food Network’s #SummerSoiree is potato salad, one of this Irish gal’s favorite dishes in all the world! I can’t wait to see all the different variations that everyone shares. Be sure to check out the links at the bottom of the page.

If you think you hate potato salad, based on the ones you’ve had at restaurants and school cafeterias, give it another chance. Most of those are manufactured in large factories and canned. It makes it very economical and easy for the restaurants, which I understand, but when you make it from scratch you will be amazed at how wonderful it can taste!

The green beans I used today are haricot vert (air-ih-coh vehr) a fancy French term for slender, small, and tender green beans. Whenever I see them in the store I buy them. They have all the flavor of bigger beans, but are so much better. Use them just as you would Blue Lakes or other varieties of green beans, cooking just until crispy tender, no more than a few minutes over steam. If you want to use your microwave, put them in a bowl with a little water in the bottom. Cover and microwave in 20 second bursts until done.

This time I tossed in some cherry tomatoes because we had them and they look pretty for the pictures 😉 but you can use any vegetables that are in season. Add some asparagus in the spring, boiled sweet potato chunks in the fall, roasted beets or butternut squash in winter. Anything goes!

When I went to my cupboard and refrigerator to get the ingredients, I noticed that I was out of red wine and champagne vinegars, my go-to options for this recipe. I did a little refrigerator diving and low and behold, I had a bottle of Boyajian’s Maple Vinegar! In it went, giving the dressing a touch of sweetness (from the maple syrup) that was a lovely counterpoint to the bite of the vinegar. Improvisation is the name of the game in my kitchen!

Thank goodness we had some eggs on hand. If you think hard boiling is the way to cook eggs, stop. The most consistent way to get beautiful hard cooked eggs every time is to start them in cold water. Bring it to a boil, cover the pan and remove it from the heat. Let the eggs sit in the hot water for about 11 minutes and then pop them in an ice water bath to fully cool. You will have perfectly cooked eggs, not rubbery, and no green ring around the yolk!

For today’s French Potato Salad with Green Beans, I had everything cooked, assembled and plated in less than 30 minutes. It is the summer dish that The Artist asks for regularly and is always thrilled to have whenever I make it. I’ll bet your family will beg for it too.

Have a wonderful weekend. See you right back here for Chocolate Monday!

 

Did you enjoy this recipe? Let me know in the comments and leave a star rating, I love hearing from you!

 

Ingredients needed for French Potato Salad with Green Beans:

• Vinaigrette: vinegar, water, olive oil, Dijon mustard, shallots, salt, pepper
• Salad: potatoes, salt, green beans, green onion, cherry tomatoes (optional), Italian parsley, hard cooked eggs (optional)

 

PRO Tip:

If all you have at home are Idaho Russet potatoes, they are fine too. Peel and cut into chunks, then boil in salted water until tender but not falling apart.

 

How to make French Potato Salad with Green Beans:

1. Vinaigrette: Combine the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake until emulsified; set aside. Set up a bowl of ice water.
2. Cook Potatoes & Beans: Boil the whole potatoes in a pot of water until barely tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate to cool. Add the beans to the hot water, return to a boil and cook until just tender. Strain and drop into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Strain again and pat dry with a clean towel.
3. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into 1/4-inch thick slices or cubes if you prefer. Place in a large bowl. Add the beans to the same bowl. Shake the vinaigrette and pour half of it over the potatoes and beans. Toss the vegetables together to evenly coat with the dressing and set aside. The hot potatoes will absorb the dressing.
4. Assemble the Salad: Add the green onions and most of the tomatoes to the potatoes and beans. Sprinkle with most of the parsley and gently toss together. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Transfer to a large serving bowl.
5. Arrange the halved eggs around the outside of the bowl and garnish with remaining tomatoes. Drizzle the eggs with a little of the remaining dressing and sprinkle top with remaining parsley. Pour any remaining dressing over the salad.
6. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Store any leftover salad, covered, in the refrigerator.

 

PRO Tip:

Shocking is a cooking term for plunging hot foods (usually vegetables) into ice cold water to stop the cooking process and help set the color. This prevents them from over cooking and getting too soft. Normally you just throw them into the bowl of water and ice. Then you have to fish around to find them all and not get any ice cubes in your dish. But here’s a tip: when you set up the bowl of ice water, set a colander or wire basket in the center, moving the ice cubes around the outside. Toss the cooked beans into the colander and shock them. Lift the colander, capturing all the beans and none of the ice cubes!

 

Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):

• Paring knife and chef’s knife
• Cutting board
• Large bowl
• Medium Saucepan 
• Large saucepan
• Slotted spoon

 

Gluten-Free Tips:

This dish is naturally gluten-free!

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

 

 

This recipe is part of Food Network’s weekly Summer Soiree. See the links below for more inspiration and great recipes and check out the Pinterest page for all the recipes from each week!

Chez Us: Baked Potato Salad
The Heritage Cook: French Potato Salad with Haricot Vert (Gluten-Free) (You are here)
Weelicious: Blue and White Potato Salad
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Mom’s Potato Salad (the Best Ever!)
Red or Green: Spicy Potato Salad with Jalapeno and Vinegar Vinaigrette
Feed Me Phoebe: Healthy Greek Potato Salad
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Creamy Potato Salad with Mint
In Jennie’s Kitchen: Warm Smashed Roasted Potato Salad
Domesticate Me: Warm Roasted Potato Salad with Pancetta, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Arugula
FN Dish: 10 New Ways to Do Up Potato Salad

 

Create a New Tradition Today!

 

 

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