Potato salad is the first food I remember eating, so I really do have a deep emotional attachment, but every so often, I crave something completely different—and this Armenian-style potato salad is completely different. And completely delicious. Serve drizzled with more olive oil and garnished with more fresh mint.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, quartered, and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon dried mint, divided
- ½ cup mild olive oil, divided
- 1 large red onion, diced
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup lemon juice, or more to taste
- ½ cup thinly sliced green onions
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Aleppo chili flakes
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
DIRECTIONS
- Gather all ingredients.
- Transfer sliced potatoes into a large pot with enough cold water to cover the potatoes by a couple of inches. Stir in 1 rounded tablespoon kosher salt and 2 ½ teaspoons dried mint. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and let cook until tender, about 15 minutes, checking every 5 to 6 minutes for doneness. Drain well.
- Transfer cooked potatoes to a large mixing bowl and let cool slightly.
- While potatoes cool, heat ¼ cup olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add red onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and a pinch of salt; cook and stir for just 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir in remaining dried mint.
- Drizzle freshly squeezed lemon juice into potatoes and toss gently with a spatula. Add green onions, red onion mixture, remaining olive oil, fresh mint, fresh parsley, salt to taste, black pepper, chili flakes, and cayenne. Mix with a spatula until combined.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and flavors have melded, 3 to 4 hours.
- Unwrap; stir, taste, and adjust seasonings as needed to personal tastes. The salad almost always needs more salt stirred in once it's tasted after being chilled. Serve.
NOTES
- You can use russet potatoes instead of Yukon Gold potatoes. You can leave the skins of the potatoes on for this if you prefer.
- Pure mint tea can be substituted for the dried mint.
