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Dill Potato Salad with Capers Recipe
Ash Tyrrell

Dill Potato Salad with Capers Recipe

I have made a lot of potato salads over the years, but this dill and caper version is the one I keep coming back to. There is no mayo hiding in this bowl, just olive oil, lemon, mustard, and a generous handful of fresh dill. I first started making it for backyard cookouts, and now it shows up at almost every summer gathering I host
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Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds baby potatoes – their thin skins and creamy texture hold up beautifully after boiling so you can skip peeling entirely
  • Fine sea salt to taste – salting the cooking water is your only real chance to season the potatoes from the inside out
  • 1 cup chopped fresh dill – fresh dill gives this salad its signature flavor; dried dill just cannot deliver the same brightness
  • 2 medium garlic cloves crushed or grated – a garlic press or microplane spreads the flavor evenly instead of leaving big chunks
  • 3.5 ounces capers drained – these little briny bites balance the sweetness of the potatoes, so do not skip them
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil – use a good quality oil here since its flavor really comes through in the finished dish
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon or brown mustard – this adds a gentle tang and helps the dressing cling to every potato piece
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice – bottled juice works in a pinch but fresh lemon tastes noticeably brighter
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste – added at the end so it does not lose its bite during cooking

Method
 

  1. Give the baby potatoes a thorough rinse to remove any dirt clinging to the skins. Cut each one into two or three pieces, aiming for chunks that are roughly an inch across. Keeping the pieces close in size helps them all finish cooking at the same time.
  2. Place the potatoes in a pot with salted water covering them by about an inch. Bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat so the water simmers gently rather than rolling hard. This should take 10 to 14 minutes, and a knife should slide in easily when they are done.
  3. Pour the potatoes into a colander and let them sit for a couple of minutes. This short rest lets excess moisture escape so the dressing does not get watered down once everything is combined.
  4. While the pot is going, combine the dill, capers, garlic, mustard, olive oil, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Stir everything together so the flavors start mingling before the potatoes even arrive.
  5. Add the potatoes to the bowl while they are still hot, then toss gently to coat every piece. The heat helps the potatoes soak up the dressing far better than they would once cooled. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper before serving.

Notes

  • I always start my potatoes in cold water rather than dropping them into an already boiling pot, since it helps them cook through evenly
  • I never skip salting the boiling water, because that is truly the only moment I get to season the inside of the potato
  • I keep an eye on the pot so the water only simmers gently, since a hard boil tends to leave me with mushy, waterlogged pieces
  • I toss the potatoes into the dressing while they are still steaming hot, since warm potatoes absorb so much more flavor than cooled ones
  • I chop my dill right before mixing it in, since it loses its punch quickly once cut