French Style Potato And Green Bean Salad Recipe

I absolutely love this recipe because it’s a perfect balance of fresh, vibrant flavors and satisfying textures that comes together effortlessly—ideal for a quick yet delicious meal. Plus, the tangy mustard vinaigrette ties everything together beautifully, making each bite an absolute delight that feels both nostalgic and gourmet.

I enjoy making not just simple but also flavorful dishes, and this French-Style Potato and Green Bean Salad fits that bill perfectly. It’s basically a fancier potato salad, which, when you think about it, makes sense because the French do love their potatoes.

Take some new potatoes and green beans and dress them with a French-inspired dressing: a zesty red wine vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil emulsion, enhanced with a touch of Dijon mustard and honey for balance. The dressing and the vegetables are accompanied by fresh herbs like parsley and chives, making this salad feel light and vibrant.

Ingredients

New Potatoes: Abundant in carbs; full of fiber; luscious, almost buttery taste.

Green beans are:

• abundant in fiber;

• low in calories;

• an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K.

Shallot: Imparts a gentle onion taste; provider of antioxidants and vitamins.

Red wine vinegar: Offers a tasty, sour flavor; is low in calories; and may have some beneficial properties for your digestion.

Extra-virgin olive oil: Healthy fats; adds richness; antioxidants.

Dijon Mustard: Gives a biting, zesty flavor; few calories; makes flavor depth more pronounced.

Honey has a sweet, sweet nature; it is as natural as anything artificial can be.

But it also contains good things—free-radical-fighting antioxidants, for one, as well as some polyphenols and other beneficial compounds.

(Some experts think that the benefits of local honey, in terms of allergy relief, are due not to the honey itself but to the pollen it contains.

) Honey acts as a sweetener, but do not relegate it to that solitary, half-healthy position.

When you use honey, you are probably at the very least getting some redeemable vitamins and minerals and, with any luck, some other health benefits, too.

Capers: Present a sharp, saline taste; few calories; plentiful in nutrients.

Eggs Hard-Boiled: Protein and richness.

B vitamins and essential minerals.

Ingredient Quantities

• 500g small new potatoes
• 200g green beans, trimmed
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped (optional)
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

Instructions

1. Start with new potatoes. Take a large pot and place the potatoes inside. Cover with water and toss in a pinch of salt to season. Set the burner to medium-high and bring the water to a boil. When it reaches a rolling boil, reduce it to a vigorous simmer and let the pot go for about 15 to 20 minutes. It may take a minute or two longer, depending on the size of the potatoes, but you want the potatoes to be just tender.

2. As you are cooking the potatoes, ready the green beans. Place a small pot of water on a burner, set to high, and allow it to come to a rolling boil. Pour in the green beans, let them swim about (more like, let them sit still, as they take 3 to 4 minutes to cook) until they’re crisp-tender, and then drain them. A bowl of ice water should be your next destination; plunge the beans in to halt the cooking process. Drain the beans during the next step of your assembly line and move them to a bowl.

3. To prepare the dressing, combine in a small bowl:
• red wine vinegar
• Dijon mustard
• honey
• salt and pepper (to taste)
Whisk ingredients together until smooth.

4. Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking all the while, until the dressing is emulsified.

5. After the potatoes have cooled sufficiently to permit handling, cut them into halves or quarters. The size of the cut is determined by the original size of the potato.

6. In a big mixing bowl, mix together the sliced potatoes, green beans, and finely diced shallot.

7. Dress the potato and green bean mixture with the dressing, tossing gently to coat all the ingredients and ensure an even distribution.

8. Incorporate the chopped parsley; if you’re using it, the tarragon; and the rinsed capers. Season as needed with more salt and pepper.

9. Transfer the salad to a serving dish or plate and arrange it evenly.

10. Garnish with the quartered hard-boiled eggs on top of the salad before serving. Enjoy immediately or chill for later serving.

Equipment Needed

1. Large pot
2. Small pot
3. Mixing bowl (large)
4. Mixing bowl (small)
5. Cutting board
6. Chef’s knife
7. Whisk
8. Measuring spoons
9. Tongs or slotted spoon
10. Colander or strainer
11. Bowl of ice water
12. Serving dish or plate

FAQ

• Q: Can I prepare this salad in advance?A: You can indeed make the salad the day before. Store it in the fridge, but hold off on adding the fresh herbs and capers until you’re about to serve it. That way, the flavors shine through and it’s as close to the etched-in-my-memory salad as possible.
• Q: How do I ensure the potatoes are cooked perfectly?A: In a large pot, add whole potatoes and enough water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Add 1 tablespoon (15 g) of salt for each quart (liter) of water, and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Test for doneness by piercing a potato with a fork. After the test, either eat the potatoes unseasoned or season them according to your taste.
• Q: Do I need to shock the green beans after blanching?A: Yes. Blanch the green beans in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Immediately transfer them to an ice bath to retain color and crisp texture. Both steps are necessary for reaching desired doneness in the beans while maintaining their green hue and firm chew.
• Q: Can I substitute the Dijon mustard?A: You may use whole grain or another mild mustard if you don’t have Dijon mustard, but the flavor profile will differ slightly.
• Q: Is the tarragon crucial for the recipe?A: Tarragon is an optional ingredient and adds its own unique flavor to the dish, but if you don’t have it, you can use another herb. Dill or basil would be fine substitutes; the flavor profile just won’t be the same.
• Q: How should I store leftovers?A: Keep uneaten portions stored in a sealed container within the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. Each additional hour in that cool, dark, and moist environment may increment the flavor of the uneaten portion; however, as the salad’s flavor develops, the potatoes may lose even more firmness than they had when first salted and dressed. Store uneaten salad in a sealed container.
• Q: Can I replace the capers with something else?A: If you are not a fan of capers, chopped olives, or pickles can provide a similar briny flavor to the salad.

Substitutions and Variations

Rather than using small new potatoes, fingerling potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes can take their place.
To substitute for green beans, use haricots verts or sugar snap peas.
If you don’t have shallots, you can alternatively use red onions or scallions.
For vinegar made from red wine, use either apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
If you lack Dijon mustard, you can substitute with whole grain mustard or yellow mustard.

Pro Tips

1. Cook Potatoes Evenly For more uniform cooking, cut any especially large potatoes in half before boiling. This ensures that all potatoes cook at the same rate.

2. Perfect Dressing Consistency To help the dressing emulsify more easily, ensure your olive oil is at room temperature. Slowly drizzle it in while whisking continuously to achieve a smooth and stable dressing.

3. Egg Perfection For perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs, start them in cold water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat, cover, and let them sit for about 9-12 minutes, depending on your desired level of doneness. Then, cool them quickly in ice water to make peeling easier.

4. Optimal Green Beans Crunch After blanching the green beans, make sure to leave them in the ice bath for at least 5 minutes. This not only cools them down quickly but also helps retain their vibrant green color and crisp texture.

5. Flavor Enhancement For depth of flavor, toast the capers in a dry pan for a few minutes until they begin to pop. This will enhance their flavor and add a slight crunch to the salad.