Lebanese Potato Salad

Lebanese potato salad is delightfully light and refreshing. Creamy potato chunks tossed through herbs in a lemon and olive oil dressing.

IMO, this is the best no mayo potato salad there is, it's simple yet so satisfying, like many other simple Lebanese salads such as sumac tomato onion salad or jerjer salad. 

What I really appreciate about this Salata Batata (it's Arabic name) is that it's not greasy and is so refreshing. I always happily overeat it!

Ingredients

Potatoes - Use all-rounder, red, or russet potatoes. Boil or steam until fork-tender, then cube. Peel or leave the skin on, it's up to you.

Fresh parsley - Finely chop the leaves and soft stems. Skip the hard stalks for better texture.

Spring onions - Thinly sliced for a mild, savory flavor. Substitute with shallots, white, or red onion if you prefer.

Dried mint - A little adds a cool, herby note. You can use fresh mint instead, but I usually stick with dried

Garlic (optional) - One small crushed clove adds depth. I've used frozen garlic too and it works just fine.

Lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil - These form the bright, bold dressing. Use fresh lemon juice and good-quality olive oil, don't skip on either. Adjust lemon, salt, and olive oil to your liking, I never measure, and neither did my Sitto!

Instructions

Boil The Potatoes

Start by washing the potatoes. You can either boil them whole or peel and chop them into 1-inch cubes before cooking, go with what suits your day.

Place the potatoes in a pot of cold water, then bring it to a gentle boil over high heat. Once it starts boiling, lower the heat to medium and cook until fork-tender.

Avoid a rapid boil, as that can cause the potatoes to fall apart. You're aiming for al dente-not mushy.

Drain and let them cool slightly while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

If you boiled them whole, peel off the skin once cool enough to handle and cut into bite-sized chunks. I prefer them peeled, but leaving the skin on works too.

Chop The Herbs

Finely chop the parsley, removing any hard stems. If you're using fresh mint, chop that as well.

Trim and thinly slice the spring onions. This trio adds all the freshness the salad needs.

Whisk The Dressing

In a small bowl, whisk together fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, crushed garlic, dried mint, sea salt, and black pepper. Adjust to taste.

Toss and Serve

Place the chopped potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add the herbs and pour over the dressing. Gently toss everything together, being careful not to break the potatoes.

Serve immediately or chill for later, it's perfect for BBQs or mezze spreads.