This potato salad is the “real dill.” It goes great with picnics and grilling out in the summertime. Serve it with sandwiches, burgers, brats, etc. To make this basic vegan potato salad recipe, you’ll need potatoes, a few condiments, a couple of spices and some fresh dill.

Basic Vegan Potato Salad

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1/2 cup vegan mayo
• 1/4 cup capers, with brine
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 6 sprigs of fresh dill, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Peel the potatoes and chop them into 3/4” cubes.
3. Add the potatoes to the boiling water, and cook until easily pierced with a fork.
4. Drain the potatoes in a colander, rinse them gently with cold water, then transfer them to a large bowl. Chill in refrigerator.
5. Whisk all the other ingredients together to make the dressing.
6. Toss the chilled potatoes in the dressing. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes:

• The caper & dill dressing also tastes great on lettuce salads. If you have a food processor or immersion blender, give all the dressing ingredients a whizz, then drizzle over a salad of romaine, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes.
• Vegan mayo is pretty easy to find. I prefer Vegenaise (Follow Your Heart) vegan mayo, but there are a lot of other options available now. There’s a Target generic brand (Good & Gather) vegan mayo, and a Kroger band (Simple Truth) vegan mayo. Even Hellmann’s makes a vegan mayo, but I can’t say if it’s any good because I haven’t tried it yet.
• The tenderness of the potato is going to make all the difference in your potato salad. If the potatoes aren’t cooked long enough, they’re going to be raw in the centers and crunchy. If they get cooked too long, they’ll be mushy and soggy. Set a timer and test for doneness by poking a potato cube with a fork—if the fork slides in easily and the potato is still somewhat firm, that’s perfect.
• The type of potato also matters. I’ve suggested Yukon Gold potatoes here, because they keep their shape pretty well when boiled. Reds and fingerlings also make good potato salad. Avoid russets, as they tend to get watery and mushy.
• Fresh dill brings a super-flavorful punch to potato salad, but if you only have dry dill, a tablespoon should do.
• Do not toss warm potatoes with the dressing—wait for them to cool, or else the mayo will melt and look weird.