This Honey Mustard Potato Salad is one of the few recipes that I have to make when my wife is out of town. She’s a great sport, but she does have a pretty strong aversion to mustard, olives, and capers. These just happen to be some of my favorite foods and this recipe includes large amounts of two of those three ingredients.
Not only is this Honey Mustard Potato Salad awesome, but I highly recommend serving it with a handful of fresh greens or herbs which gives it some extra bite. For around twenty minutes of prep, it’s a tough potato salad to beat and will knock any mayo-based version off the picnic table.
Instructions for cooking the Potatoes
The basics for this Honey Mustard Potato Salad are standard potato salad ingredients. I like to use new potatoes for potato salad and a mix of colors is kind of fun if you can find them. They aren’t quite as starchy and make for a better final salad I think.
Dice the potatoes into about 1/2-inch pieces. They don’t have to be perfect. The super-small potatoes you can just quarter, but some might need to be cut into eighths.
Boil the potatoes in salted water in a large pot until they are tender, but not completely mushy. This should be around 8-10 minutes.
I like my potatoes to have a very tiny bite still for potato salad. You aren’t making mashed potatoes after all.
Meanwhile, just dice up the red onion and celery. I like a pretty fine dice on these. It’s not good to get a big chunk of onion on your fork.
Making the Honey Mustard Dressing
This is a three-ingredient dressing, but it brings a ton of flavor. Splurge on nice mustard for it though since that’s where most of the flavor is.
Just stir or whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and you’re ready to rock.
Add the still-hot potatoes to the dressing and then stir in the celery and onions. Add in the drained capers last.
Season it with kosher salt and pepper and you are all set.
This Honey Mustard Potato Salad is great warm or cold. The flavors will get better though if it sits for a few hours.
What to serve with this honey mustard potato salad
If you want to class up this potato salad, you can serve it over some greens like watercress, spinach, or arugula.
Obviously serving this potato salad during a summer BBQ is the idea here. You could serve it with some good homemade burgers or grilled short ribs.
If you were taking this to a picnic it might be nice alongside these ultimate picnic sandwiches!
Substitutions and ideas for this honey mustard potato salad
There are so many other ingredients you could add or substitute to this potato salad. Here are a few ideas!
- Instead of red onions, add other onions like shallots, green onions or scallions, or even sweet onions.
- Add some delicious crispy bacon to the potato salad for a bit flavor boost.
- Add mayonnaise to the dressing to make a creamy version with the same flavors.
- Add other big flavors like chopped olives to the salad.
- Stir in fresh herbs like fresh parsley, cilantro, or fresh chives.
Storing this potato salad for later
Like so many potato salads, this one gets better if you can let it sit for a few hours before serving it. If you don’t have time to let it sit, the salad is also delicious actually warm.
The honey mustard potato salad keeps well for a week or so in an air-tight container in the fridge.
If you are going to a BBQ over the weekend, try this Honey Mustard Potato Salad out. It’s a great recipe and very different from most potato salads out there.
Honey Mustard Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds new potatoes, chopped
- ½ cup diced red onions
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 tablespoons capers
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup stone ground mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Fresh herbs
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Chop potatoes into about ½ inch pieces and boil in salted water until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, dice up red onion and celery.
- Whisk together olive oil with mustard and honey.
- When potatoes are done, drain well and add to bowl with other veggies. Pour in dressing and stir well to mix.
- Add capers and season salad with salt and pepper.
- Serve salad with fresh watercress.
Jason Sandeman
Love this salad! I like to leave the skins on myself… just because I’m lazy I guess. If you are not partial to watercress… arugula will work too.
If you have a problem with the watercress wilting, may I suggest that you buy the watercress with the root still attached, and keep them upright in a container with water. Keep it covered and it should last for at least 5 days, provided you change the water periodically.
As for recipes, I am partial to potato soup with watercress and creme fraiche….
Nick
I left the skins on too Jason. They are just new potatoes so the skins are pretty light. I’m way to lazy to go peeling new potatoes!
Thanks for the tip on the watercress… mine even came with the roots and I was too much of a dimwit to think to put it in water…
Shanti
Yes! Finally a good looking potato salad that does is not primarily mayo. I’ll need to try this some time.
Julia Dawn Mason
I grew up eating potato salad with mustard in it. Southern people have been putting mustard in potato salad for years.
dan
When Mandi is away it’s nonstop cream cheese around these parts.
Nick
She doesn’t like cream cheese?! I didn’t know that was possible.
Chris
I haven’t done a mustard based potato salad in a coon’s age. The capers are an unusual touch.
Gail
Thanks for this awesome recipe!! Made it last night for my family- they all loved it!