Warm Potato and Olive Salad
Forget gloopy, mayonnaise-heavy potato salad. This one is warm potatoes dressed in good olive oil, with olives, herbs and a sharp bite — lighter, brighter and far more interesting, and it rests entirely on one small trick.
A potato salad dressed in olive oil instead of mayonnaise is a small revelation. The warm potatoes drink up the oil, the olives and capers season them from within, and the whole thing stays light on the plate instead of sitting there like ballast. It is the potato salad of the Mediterranean rather than the picnic cooler, and once you make it this way the mayonnaise version starts to feel like a missed opportunity.
What you need
Waxy potatoes, the sort that hold their shape rather than collapsing into fluff — boil them whole and halve them while still warm. Add a good handful of pitted olives, chopped: green Picholine for a crisp, bright bite, or a soft black olive for something rounder. Then capers, a little finely sliced spring onion or red onion, and plenty of soft herbs — parsley, dill and chives are the classic trio. The dressing is simply good olive oil, white wine vinegar or lemon, and a scrape of mustard to bind it.
Method
Dress the potatoes while they are still warm with the oil, vinegar and mustard, and give them a few minutes to drink it in. Then fold through the olives, capers, onion and herbs so they stay distinct rather than turning to mush. Taste and adjust — the olives and capers bring the salt, so you may need little or none. Serve warm or at room temperature, never fridge-cold, when the flavours are shut down and the oil has gone waxy.
| Element | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | Waxy (not floury) | Holds its shape, drinks the dressing |
| Olive | Picholine or soft black | Green for bite, black for roundness |
| Acid | White wine vinegar or lemon | Cuts the richness of the oil |
| Salt | From olives & capers | Season last, they do most of the work |
| Serve | Warm / room temp | Cold flattens the oil and the flavour |
Make it yours
- Add halved boiled eggs or flaked tinned tuna to turn it into a light lunch.
- A few blanched green beans make it closer to a salade niçoise.
- Swap dill for tarragon, or add a little chopped anchovy melted into the dressing.
- Char a few of the potatoes in a hot pan first for a smoky edge.
Warm potato and olive salad: common questions
Why dress the potatoes warm?
A warm potato is like a sponge — it drinks the oil and vinegar deep into its flesh, so every bite is seasoned through. Dress them cold and the dressing just slides off into a puddle.
What potatoes work best?
Waxy varieties that hold their shape after boiling. Floury, fluffy potatoes fall apart and turn the salad to mash.
Which olives should I use?
Any good pitted olive. Green Picholine gives a crisp, bright bite; a soft black olive gives a rounder, mellower result. Avoid the flavourless canned black olive.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes, a few hours ahead, but keep it out of the fridge and serve at room temperature — cold dulls both the oil and the flavour.
Do I need to add salt?
Taste first. The olives and capers are salty, so you often need very little or none at all.
Warm potatoes are the whole secret. This only works if you dress them hot — a warm potato drinks the oil and vinegar deep into its flesh, so every bite is seasoned through, not just coated. Dress them cold and the dressing slides off into a puddle. Use a good, characterful oil here; it is carrying the dish in place of mayonnaise, so you want to taste it. The olives and capers handle the salt and the sharpness, and you barely need anything else.
A house recipe from the olives101 kitchen.