Make a 'creamy' potato salad without mayonnaise using this simple method

A cook has shared how to make potato salad without using mayonnaise - and using her unique method means it still has a creamy texture.

With summer in full swing, many will be looking for lighter meals that don't involve slaving away in a hot kitchen, which makes now the ideal time to make an incredibly delicious potato salad. While this creamy dish is satisfying, some may find it a little rich due to the amount of mayonnaise used, or worry it's too calorie-dense for them.

Kathryne Taylor, cook and founder of Cookie and Kate, suggests an ingenious tip for creating an easy mayo-free potato salad. She recommends: "To make the best mayo-free potato salad, reserve some potato cooking water before draining the potatoes.

"Then, blend the herbs and olive oil with the starchy reserved water. You'll end up with a creamy emulsification that infuses the potatoes with fresh flavour."

When you boil potatoes, they release plenty of starch into the water, which can be utilised to form a creamier, smoother dressing.

By using the starch-rich water, the potatoes stick to the dressing, ensuring your salad is lush and creamy without relying on mayo.

Opting for this method not only offers health benefits but also allows the taste of the potatoes and salt to come through, elevating your dish to something that's perfect to accompany your evening meal or to take along to an upcoming barbecue or picnic.

How to make tasty potato salad without mayonnaise

Ingredients

• 900g of small red potatoes
• Two cloves of garlic
• Three stalks of celery
• 20g of flat-leaf parsley
• 20g of spring onions
• 30ml of lemon juice
• 60ml of olive oil
• Two tablespoons of Dijon mustard
• One tablespoon of sea salt
• One teaspoon of black pepper

Method

To start, get your ingredients ready. Roughly chop the garlic cloves, celery, parsley and spring onion, then set aside.

Give the potatoes a good wash and slice them into thick rounds.

It's important to slice the potatoes before boiling them as this helps them cook quicker and prevents them from turning mushy in the salad later on.

Pop the sliced potatoes into a large pot and add a tablespoon of salt. Fill the pot with water until the potatoes are covered, then place it on high heat until the water starts to boil.

Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and let the potatoes cook for about five minutes until they're tender.

Reserve about 60 ml of the potato cooking water, then transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl.

Next, add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, black pepper, Dijon mustard, 5g of the parsley and 5g of the spring onions to a food processor. Whizz everything up until it's all chopped into small pieces.

If you don't have a food processor, you can simply whisk everything together in a bowl.

After everything is blended, stir in the reserved cooking water to the olive oil mixture, and voila, you've got a delicious salad dressing.

Drizzle the olive oil dressing over the potatoes and mix until they're fully coated. Let the potatoes sit for about 10 minutes so they can absorb some of the dressing.

Your potato salad is now ready to be served. It's best enjoyed within a few hours of making, but it'll keep fresh in the fridge for up to three days.