This easy recipe for crispy chimichurri potato salad swaps out the mayo for a tangy, spicy herb dressing and crisps up the potatoes for a jazzy new take on this favorite veggie side dish.
I will admit right here for the record that I am not the biggest fan of traditional potato salad. I have various and sundry potato salad recipes on this site that I do like a whole lot (I‘m looking at YOU, Boursin cheese potato salad) but pretty much all of them I wrote in an effort to find an alternative to the two most common versions, the mayonnaise version and the vinegar version.
Not that there is anything wrong with those – every person is 100% entitled to their potato salad faves – but I’m going to keep throwing potato salad curveballs at you, and here’s my latest.
Sliced potatoes that are fried up until they are crispy, dressed with a spicy tangy chimichurri sauce. Hello, my new potato salad buddy.
What the heck is chimichurri sauce, anyway?
I first discovered the wonder that is chimichurri sauce way back when I made it as a steak topping. It is a super easy, super flavorful blend of parsley, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper that you whirl up in about ten seconds in your food processor.
The olive oil blends with the chopped parsley and garlic to make a thick, aromatic sauce that is all kinds of wonderful. And one day it dawned on me that if it could liven up steak, imagine what it could do for the humble potato!
The only hesitation I had was the possibility that this sassy sauce would overwhelm the poor little potatoes.
So I started looking around for inspiration, and found that some smart people were making potato salad with roasted and fried potatoes, which gave them a delectable little crusty crunchy exterior, and that’s when I knew that everything was going to be okay.
Crispy potato salad with chimichurri sauce was GOING TO HAPPEN.
Here’s how you make crispy chimichurri potato salad!
Start by boiling up some potatoes – I use medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe, and I cook them until they are just tender and then pop them in a bowl of ice water while I make the sauce.
As I mentioned earlier, the sauce could not be simpler – just toss some parsley, garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper into your food processor and press go. Once everything is nice and chopped, slowly pour in some olive oil until you have a nice thick sauce and voila! You have made chimichurri.
This easy recipe for crispy chimichurri potato salad swaps out the mayo for a tangy, spicy herb dressing and crisps up the potatoes for a jazzy new take on this favorite veggie side dish. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, dry them off and slice them into 1/4 inch rounds. Heat up a little more olive oil in a skillet and brown them on both sides until they are golden and crispy.
Now all that’s left to do is to introduce the potatoes to the sauce.
I mean, is that a match made in heaven or what? And it’s a potato salad that I can get 100% behind!
Want to round out your meal? This recipe pairs well with...
Crispy Chimichurri Potato Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 1x
Category: Salad
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Argentinian
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This easy recipe for crispy chimichurri potato salad swaps out the mayo for a tangy, spicy herb dressing and crisps up the potatoes for a jazzy new take on this favorite veggie side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
Instructions
- Scrub potatoes – no need to peel them – and put them in a pot of water. Bring water to a boil and cook them until they are tender and a paring knife slides in easily, about 15 minutes. Drain them and put them in a bowl of ice water to cool down a bit while you make the chimichurri sauce.
- Put the parsley, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until well chopped. Pour 1/2 cup of the olive oil into the feeding tube in a steady stream while the processor is running until you have a nice thick sauce.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, dry them off with a paper or dish towel and slice them into 1/4 inch slices.
- Heat the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the potato slices and fry until crispy on both sides (you will need to do this in batches. As you take them out, let them drain on paper towels.
- Put the fried potatoes in a bowl or divide among plates, spoon some chimichurri sauce on top and serve!
Notes
If you have any leftover chimichurri sauce, it is AMAZING on sliced steak!
Hi there! I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and my mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN! My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too. And if you make this recipe, I would love you to tag @FramedCooks on Instagram so I can see the deliciousness!
I’m in for that win! What’s not to love about crispy potatoes and a zingy sauce? Hello new side dish for grilled burgers! And I’m thinking the burgers may get a little of the chimichurri love with a little dollop on top instead of a pickle. :)
Oh, burgers with chimichurri are the best – somewhere in this blog I have a recipe for that very thing! Great minds!