Buttermilk Potato Salad With Preserved Lemon

By Samantha Seneviratne

Published July 9, 2024

Buttermilk Potato Salad With Preserved Lemon
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
Total Time
55 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes, plus 15 minutes’ cooling
Rating
5(173)
Comments
Read comments

Preserved lemons are lemons that have been packed in salt and spices and allowed to ferment in their own juices. The resulting fruit softens and becomes even tangier with a satisfying salty pucker. You can rinse them before chopping and adding them to soups, stews and dressings, or you can use them as is. Here they add an unexpected zing to a simple buttermilk-based potato salad. Look for them in the international aisle at the supermarket or make your own. 

Featured in: The Ingredient That Brightens Every Dish It’s In

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1½ pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes
  • Salt and pepper
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 2tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1large garlic clove, grated
  • ½ preserved lemon, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons), plus 1 teaspoon brine
  • 1small shallot, finely chopped (or ¼ cup finely chopped red onion, about ¼ small onion)
  • ¾cup green olives (such as Castelvetrano), pitted and torn
  • 3tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  • 2tablespoons finely chopped dill
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

251 calories; 11 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 598 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.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cover the potatoes with 1 inch of salted water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil over high and cook until they are just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain them and slice them in half when they are cool enough to handle.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, mayonnaise, mustard, olive oil and garlic. Stir in the preserved lemon and brine, the shallot and olives and season to taste with salt and pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Stir the warm potatoes and herbs into the dressing and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Enjoy the salad warm, at room temperature or cover and chill to serve cold.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
173 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

RB

Because I had them on hand, I used capers instead of olives and added some chopped celery. I'm sort of verklempt at how good it was. The brine, the tang, the added crunch---is it possible to be moved by potato salad?

Judy

In preserving the lemons, do they sit out or in the fridge? It says to keep them in the fridge when they are ready, but before?

EmEl

Excellent! Made as per recipe except used a whole preserved lemon (because really, there can never be too much preserved lemon!). I thought there wasn’t going to be enough dressing but it was fine.

RSW

Great recipe, though wish the instructions for the preserved lemon would have been more clear. I used only the rind, which I rinsed before finely chopping.

Cheryl

I made preserved lemons for the first time and they've been sitting in the back of my fridge waiting for a first recipe to use them in. This potato salad was it! Made buttermilk with 1% milk, a splash of heavy cream and 1 1/2 t. lemon juice, rinsed the preserved lemon before chopping, used 2 t. dried dill as I didn't have fresh. This was a delicious, creamy, tangy potato salad - served room temperture and a perfect side to our casual summer dinner of grilled chicken sausages and kale salad.

KS

would build in time to make in advance and serve cold, made a world of difference

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.