Armenian-Style Potato Salad - The Best No Mayo, No Egg Potato Salad

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

1. Gather all ingredients.
2. 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.
3. Transfer cooked potatoes to a large mixing bowl and let cool slightly.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and flavors have melded, 3 to 4 hours.
7. 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.