Potato Salad With Tartar Sauce and Fresh Herbs

By Alexa Weibel

Updated May 15, 2025

Potato Salad With Tartar Sauce and Fresh Herbs
Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(671)
Comments
Read comments

Most potato salad recipes call for tossing together all the components, but this one calls for assembling the dish in layers, and for brightening — and loosening — the traditional mayonnaise dressing with pickles and their brine. The steps are simple, and the key is in the potato treatment: Boil the potatoes and slice them into rounds, then immediately douse them with fragrant pickle brine and olive oil, so they soak up flavor and retain moisture. Prepare your potatoes and tartar sauce in advance, then assemble before serving, draping your seasoned potatoes on a platter, drizzling them with the loose tartar sauce and sprinkling with herbs and lemon zest for a modern update on a classic.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2pounds small (2- to 3-inch-long) red potatoes, scrubbed
  • ⅔cup mayonnaise
  • ¼cup minced bread-and-butter pickle chips, plus 5 tablespoons brine
  • 2tablespoons minced, drained jarred capers
  • 1garlic clove, minced
  • 1lemon
  • 3tablespoons olive oil
  • Torn fresh parsley and dill, for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

366 calories; 27 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 13 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 514 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high. Add the potatoes and cook until tender when speared with a fork, about 10 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a large colander to drain and cool.

  2. Step 2

    While the potatoes cook, prepare the tartar sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, minced pickles and 2 tablespoons pickle brine, minced capers, garlic and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Once cool enough to handle, slice the cooked potatoes crosswise into 1-centimeter-thick rounds. Transfer to a large bowl, drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and the remaining 3 tablespoons pickle brine. Season generously with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Arrange on a large serving platter in an even layer, setting some of the rounded pieces skin-side up.

  4. Step 4

    Just before serving, drizzle with the tartar sauce and top with torn parsley and dill. Zest the lemon on top and serve right away.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
671 user ratings
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Comments

Chantal

Delia Smith puts a half teaspoon of mustard powder in her tartar sauce and I can highly recommend that. You can either get Colman's mustard powder, or grind down some yellow mustard seeds in a pestle and mortar. It brightens the sauce considerably. Personally, I also prefer cornichons, for their crunch and sourness, over bread and butter pickles, which tend to be very sweet a lot of the time. But that is of course a matter of taste.

Lynn

Dousing the warm potatoes in pickle brine and oil yields a very flavorful end product. I learned to do that with vinegar and a little water when living in Germany. This recipe might even get me away from my Mother's potato salad! Thank-you so much for this recipe

Julie

I made this recipe by accident and will say it’s an inspired combo. Was serving blackened grouper- made Ina G’s tartar sauce recipe and I grilled some fingerling potatoes in a foil packet with thyme and garlic. The tartar sauce with those potatoes…. As the kids say these days: sheeeeeeesh! Delish

Laura J

This was a big hit! I made it for friends for dinner and everyone loved it. I used bread and butter sandwich pickles. I chopped them instead of mincing because I wanted a chunkier salad. I also cubed the potatoes rather than sliced. I tossed with the brine and oil and sat in fridge for a couple hours before serving. Drizzled remaining brine and dressing on top with dill and some extra chopped pickles. My husband said it was the best potato salad he's ever had!

Dammurray

Made with Famous Dave’s sweet and spicy pickle chips and it was delicious!

Kittie

Does anyone refrigerate this before serving?

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