Regional Recipe
Insalata di Patate
Warm Italian potato salad with olive oil, no mayonnaise
This is a potato salad made without mayonnaise: the potatoes are dressed while still warm with olive oil, vinegar, red onion and parsley.
Tested and written by Erika A. Cochran
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Prep
10 minutes
Cook
20 minutes
Serves
4–6
Difficulty
Easy
Region
Southern Italy
What you’ll need
Ingredients
Written for 4–6.
Showing quantities at 1× the original recipe.
- 1⅞ lb waxy potatoes (about 6 medium), such as Yukon Gold or red potatoes
- 1 small red onion, sliced thin
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ tbsp red wine vinegar
- A handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Sea salt and black pepper
At the stove
Instructions
Boil the potatoes whole in well-salted water until a knife slides in easily, 18–20 minutes.
Drain, and peel them while they are still hot if you prefer them peeled.
Cut into thick slices or rough chunks and put them in a wide bowl.
Soak the sliced onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften its bite, then drain.
Dress the warm potatoes with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper — warm potatoes absorb the dressing.
Fold in the onion and parsley and serve at room temperature.
Recipe notes
Waxy potatoes — red potatoes, Yukon Gold, or fingerlings — hold their shape; floury ones like Russets will break down into something closer to a mash.
Dress while warm. Cold potatoes take on almost nothing.
Context
Oil-and-vinegar potato salads are the standard household form across southern Italy; mayonnaise-based versions are a later and largely northern-European habit.
Sources: Editorial adaptation of documented southern Italian household cooking, Casa Magnelli Kitchen
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