I’m getting more and more into plant-based cooking lately. Not sure I’ll ever make the full switch but I’m totally on board with a more flexitarian lifestyle anyway.

Earlier this year, I decided to stop eating beef, and I’ve long given up ham, bacon and processed style meats or cold-cuts. My choices are for a mixture of reasons - the beef was an environmental decision, I can’t ignore the harmful impact cattle farming has on the planet. As for ham and bacon etc., well, that was more for personal health reasons. Without getting into all of that just now, it made sense to cut these foods out of my diet. It was the right decision for me for sure, and I don’t particularly miss them.

Anyway, enough of the health rant. Back to today’s recipe, delicious herby potato salad. Made with fresh dill and parsley, plus chopped red onion and gherkins for extra punch, coated in lots of extra virgin olive oil, a touch of dijon mustard and some seasoning.

I’ve left the real corker in the story until last though, and quite obviously the reason why this potato salad is stupidly easy to make, I love how simple it is (as is well documented in this blog, I love food, I love cooking, but I like it easy ). I’ve used tinned potatoes for the ultimate in recipe hacks! They work an absolute treat, and although they might never quite beat the flavour of freshly boiled new potatoes, they taste perfectly fine, so I’m more than happy to take the short cut now and then.

Here’s the recipe:

Herby Tinned Potato Salad (Mayo-Free)

PREP TIME - 5 mins |  SERVES 2 - 4  | RECIPE TYPE - SIDE | VEGAN

Ingredients

• 1 800g tin of peeled new potatoes

• a small handful of dill

• a small handful of parsley

• 1 small red onion

• 4,5 small gherkins or 2,3 large

• 4tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• seasoning

Instructions

1. Drain the potatoes and set aside in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add red onion and gherkins to a mini blender and pulse until chopped evenly and add to the bowl pf potatoes.

3. Chop the herbs by hand and add those also to the potatoes.

4. Whisk together extra virgin olive oil and some mustard, pour over the potato mix and combine well so everything is coated evenly.

5. Add some seasoning to taste.

My tips

My main tip for this dish is to remember less is more, as in making it to your taste. I like a lot of dill, and a lot of everything on top of the spuds, in fact, but you can use less. 

I like the onions and gherkins quite chunky, but you also could pulse for longer until almost a paste though if you prefer.

I’ve advised chopping the herbs by hand; this is because I find they go a little soggy if added to the electric chopper, but you can use one if you prefer.

The dijon mustard can be quite overpowering, my recipe reads 1tsp, if you’re not a big fan, I’d say go for half, or omit altogether.

As for seasoning, as ever, taste as you go, once it’s there you can’t take it out!

My last, and most important tip is to check out my other potato side dishes of course;-) Baked Potato Wedges and Basil and Tahini Potato Salad.

Don’t forget to pin it.