Delia Smith New Potato Salad With Mint And Chives Recipe

Delia Smith’s new potato salad with mint and chives is nothing but warm potatoes, a sharp vinaigrette, and a generous pile of four fresh herbs: mint, parsley, chives, and spring onions. It serves 4 to 6, takes 25 minutes with no mayonnaise and no fuss, just herbs doing all the work.

I made this expecting it to taste like the lemon potato salad I already knew from Delia’s Summer Collection, but it is a completely different recipe from her Complete Cookery Course. That one is citrus-led, this one is all herbs, and the mint in particular makes it taste like something you would eat in a garden on a warm afternoon.

More Salad Recipes:

• Brown Rice Salad
• Coleslaw
• Greek Salad

How This Differs From Delia’s Lemon Potato Salad

Delia has several potato salads across her books, and the lemon and chive version from the Summer Collection uses lemon juice and zest in the dressing. This one from the Complete Cookery Course uses a standard vinaigrette with wine vinegar and relies entirely on the herbs for freshness.

I think of the lemon version as the sharp one and this as the green one. Both dress the potatoes while hot, both skip mayonnaise, but they taste nothing alike.

New Potato Salad with Mint and Chives Ingredients

The Potatoes:

• 900g (2 lb) new potatoes, scrubbed, skins left on
• Salt for the boiling water

The Vinaigrette:

• 1 level teaspoon of Maldon sea salt
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled
• 1 rounded teaspoon of mustard powder
• 1 tablespoon of wine vinegar
• 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly milled black pepper

The Herbs:

• 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped mint
• 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons of freshly snipped chives
• 4 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped

How To Make Delia Smith New Potato Salad

1. Boil the potatoes: Put the new potatoes in a saucepan, cover with boiling water, add salt, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until tender when tested with a skewer. Drain well.
2. Make the vinaigrette: While the potatoes cook, crush the garlic and salt in a pestle and mortar until smooth. Work in the mustard powder, then the vinegar and pepper. Add the olive oil and whisk.
3. Dress while hot: Transfer the drained potatoes to a serving bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over while they are still hot and toss gently so each potato absorbs the dressing.
4. Add the herbs: Scatter the chopped mint, parsley, chives, and spring onions over the potatoes. Toss again gently and serve warm or at room temperature.

Why Fresh Herbs Make the Difference

Fresh mint leaves chopped just before adding give a cool, sharp burst that dried herbs cannot match. I tried it once with dried parsley from a jar and the salad tasted flat.

If you can, pick the herbs from the garden right before you chop them. The oils are strongest when the leaves are fresh.

What To Serve With New Potato Salad

The mint makes this a natural match for lamb, and I serve it alongside grilled lamb chops or a roast chicken on Sundays. It also works cold the next day in a lunchbox.

For a summer spread, put it next to the couscous salad and a vinaigrette dressed green salad. Three different textures, all simple.

How Long Does It Keep?

The dressed potatoes keep for 2 days in the fridge, and although the herbs darken overnight the flavour is still there. I add a fresh handful of chopped mint on top before serving leftovers.

Do not freeze it. The potatoes go grainy and the herbs turn black.

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 240 kcal
• Fat: 12g
• Carbohydrates: 30g
• Fibre: 3g
• Protein: 4g

Nutrition is estimated per serving based on 6 servings.

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