Although potato salad was originally developed in Germany, it is every bit as American as baseball and apple pie and if you are at a backyard barbecue, there is probably a big bowl of it nearby.
Everyone has their own preferred version of potato salad, whether it is an old family recipe or a place in town that makes it right.
Today, we are making a modern version of classic potato salad with a mediterranean twist. Crispy roasted potatoes tossed in a tzatziki inspired sauce with Greek yogurt, cucumber, lemon and lots of fresh dill. It has wonderful texture, loads of inviting flavors and will bring new interest to an old classic.
Let’s get started…
Begin by boiling 24 ounces of baby potatoes for about 8 minutes. They should be tender enough to be pierced by a fork, but not soft. Drain the potatoes and transfer them onto a large parchment lined baking sheet. I had to use 2 baking sheets to have enough space for all of the potatoes.
Use a rolling pin or the bottom of a water glass to smash the potatoes down into flat disks. Drizzle with olive oil and generously season with sea salt, garlic powder and black pepper.
Roast the potatoes in a 425 degree oven for 45-55 minutes or until the are golden brown and crisp. The flatter you smash them, the more crispy they will become.
Note: I like to smash some very thin and some a little less to give some varying texture in this potato salad. If you do this, be sure to pull the thinner potatoes out before the thicker ones, so they do not burn.
While the potatoes are getting crispy, we are going to prepare the saucy element of this potato salad.
Typically, potato salad has either a vinegar base with a warm, thin “sauce” or a mayonnaise base with a cold, thick sauce, but todays twist on the classic is using a mediterranean inspired tzatziki sauce that pairs perfectly with the crispy potatoes.
Combine a cup of plain greek yogurt with 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, 2 cloves of finely minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 small finely chopped cucumber, 1/4 cup of finely chopped red onion, 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh dill and a pinch of black pepper in a large bowl and give it a good whisk.
Once the potatoes are all crisp, let them cool for a few minutes and then give them a rough chop. I used fairly small baby potatoes, so simply chopped them in half to get nice bite sized pieces. If your potatoes were larger, chop them up a bit more and then transfer them into the sauce.
I am so obsessed with the way that these crispy, salty potatoes taste dressed in the light and creamy tzatziki sauce. It is enough to make you go back for seconds (or thirds), so make a big batch if you are having friends over.
This crispy potato salad is great on its own, but it pairs really well with roasted chicken or my garlic parmesan drumsticks and some veggies. Its great year round, but will make you an instant hero if you pull up to a barbecue with a big bowl of it.
This modern mediterranean inspired twist on classic potato salad is inviting and delicious and I am quite sure that you are going to love it.
Crispy Potato Salad with Tzatziki
Ingredients
- 24 ounces of baby potatoes
- olive oil
- sea salt, garlic powder and black pepper
- 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small cucumber, finely diced
- 1/4 cup of red onion, finely minced
- 1/4 cup of fresh dill, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil
- Boil the baby potatoes for 8-10 minutes and then drain and pat dry
- Spread the potatoes out over a baking sheet and use a rolling pin or flat bottomed glass to smash the potatoes out flat
- Drizzle with olive oil and season generously with sea salt, garlic powder and black pepper
- Roast the potatoes in a 425 degree oven for 45-55 minutes or until the potatoes are quite crisp
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of plain greek yogurt with 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, 2 cloves of finely minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 small finely chopped cucumber, 1/4 cup of finely chopped red onion, 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh dill and a pinch of black pepper and set aside
- Once the potatoes are crisp, let them cool for a few minutes, roughly chop and transfer into the tzatziki sauce and toss to combine
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator
