Recipe: Tarragon Potato Salad
From: Cook's Illustrated - The Best Recipe
Serves: 6
2 lbs. red potatoes
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp.salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
Dressing:
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. minced fresh tarragon leaves (or 1 tsp.+ dried)
1 green onion, minced
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
Rinse potatoes and scrub if you're going to leave the skins on in the salad. Place in a 4-qt. or larger pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, and simmer until tender (25-30 min. if medium size, 15-20 min. for new potatoes).
Drain potatoes, let cool slightly, and peel if desired. Slice 1/4" thick while still warm (use a serrated knife if the skins are on) and layer in a medium bowl, sprinkling with the vinegar, salt, and pepper as you go. Let stand at room temp. while you make dressing (or up to an hour).
Whisk together the vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard, and oil in a small bowl until well emulsified (about 1 minute). Stir in tarragon.
Add green onion and parsley to dressing, stir, and pour over potatoes. Toss lightly until coated evenly. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then bring to room temperature for best flavor.
Notes:
The original recipe called for 1 medium shallot, minced, instead of the green onion, but shallots are sometimes hard to find or not very nice. Green onion works fine even if it's less authentically French. You can also use a big handful of fresh chives, minced.
The red potatoes don't fall apart as much as russets do, but I have used russets also and they taste fine even if they're not as attractive. If you don't have fresh tarragon, you can use tarragon vinegar instead of white wine vinegar both for drizzling and in the dressing. The dressing on its own is a good salad vinaigrette as well. Marjoram can be used in lieu of tarragon if you prefer -- I'm not a big tarragon fan, so that's usually what I do.