Delia Smith’s potato salad with mayonnaise is her Roquefort potato salad: steamed new potatoes tossed while warm in half-fat crème fraîche, a little mayonnaise, balsamic vinegar and crumbled blue cheese, with celery and shallots for crunch. It serves 6 to 8 and is ready in about 35 minutes.
It’s from her first How to Cook book (1998), and the surprise is how little mayonnaise goes in. Just 2 tablespoons are blended with 150ml of half-fat crème fraîche, so the dressing tastes rich and tangy without being heavy, and the balsamic vinegar keeps it sharp.
Delia likes it with cold cuts at a buffet lunch, which makes it a natural one to have ready for Christmas and Boxing Day. The cheese goes in twice, whisked into the dressing and crumbled over at the end, so you get a creamy coating on warm potatoes, little bursts of salty blue cheese and the crunch of celery in every forkful.
Delia Smith’s Potato Salad with Roquefort
Steamed new potatoes in a tangy blue cheese dressing, with celery, shallots and spring onions, from Delia’s How to Cook Book One. A good one for a buffet.
6
servings10
minutes25
minutes290
kcalIngredients
- For the salad:
900g (2lb) small new potatoes or salad potatoes
1 dessertspoon salt, for steaming
4 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery sticks, trimmed and cut into 5mm (¼in) pieces
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
25g (1oz) Roquefort, crumbled, for the top
- For the dressing:
40g (1½oz) Roquefort, crumbled
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon salt
1 heaped teaspoon grain mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
150ml (5fl oz) half-fat crème fraîche
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Steam: Put the potatoes in a steamer over boiling water, sprinkle them with the dessertspoon of salt, cover and steam for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender.
- Paste: Meanwhile, crush the garlic with the teaspoon of salt in a pestle and mortar until smooth, then work in the mustard.
- Dressing: Add the lemon juice and balsamic vinegar, then the olive oil, and whisk well. In a medium bowl, mix the crème fraîche with the mayonnaise, gradually whisk in the dressing, then stir in the 40g (1½oz) Roquefort and season with black pepper.
- Dry: When the potatoes are cooked, take the steamer off the heat and lay a clean cloth over the potatoes for about 4 minutes to soak up the steam.
- Dress: Halve any larger potatoes and tip them into a large bowl. While they’re still warm, pour over the dressing, add the shallots and celery and mix gently.
- Finish: Just before serving, crumble over the remaining 25g (1oz) Roquefort and scatter with the spring onions.
Notes
- Without a steamer, a metal colander set over a pan of simmering water, with a lid on top, does the same job.
- Roquefort is salty, so taste the dressing before you add any more salt.
- Waxy new or salad potatoes hold their shape best once they're dressed.
FAQs
Which blue cheese can I use instead of Roquefort?
Shropshire Blue or Cashel Blue, as Delia’s own Vegetarian Collection (2002) gives the same salad with Roquefort, Shropshire Blue or Cashel Blue. The amounts stay the same, 40g in the dressing and 25g on top.
Traditional Roquefort is made with animal rennet, so if you’re cooking for vegetarians, check the label of whichever blue you buy. Stilton works too, which is my own swap, though it’s a little firmer and harder to crumble.
Why put a cloth over the potatoes after steaming?
It soaks up the steam, so the potatoes are dry before the dressing goes on. Wet potatoes would thin the crème fraîche and leave a watery pool in the bowl.
Four minutes is all it takes, and the potatoes are still warm enough afterwards to take on the dressing. A clean tea towel is fine.
Do I have to steam the potatoes?
No, steaming is just how Delia does it, and it keeps the potatoes from getting waterlogged. You can boil them in salted water for about 15 to 20 minutes instead, which is my own alternative, as long as you drain them well.
Either way, give them the 4 minutes under a cloth before they’re dressed. Test them with a skewer first, so they’re soft right through but still hold together.
Can I make the dressing with more mayonnaise?
You can, but it changes the salad, since the mayonnaise is only a small part of Delia’s dressing. All mayonnaise makes it much heavier and hides the tang of the cheese, which is my own view.
If you only have full-fat crème fraîche, it works in the same amount, just a little richer. I’d add an extra squeeze of lemon to keep it sharp.
How far ahead can I make Roquefort potato salad?
A few hours, which is my own timing: dress the potatoes while they’re warm, then cover the bowl and chill it. Keep the last of the Roquefort and the spring onions back until just before serving, the way Delia does.
Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you eat, as cold potatoes taste of very little. Give it a gentle stir, as the dressing settles to the bottom.
