Olivier Potato Salad Will Be the Star of Your Labor Day Table

Potato salad sometimes has a reputation as a drab side dish—bland, boiled potatoes in a soupy mayonnaise sauce. I don’t waste time with such things. I prefer a potato salad with flavorful ingredients and just enough dressing to hold it together. This classic Olivier potato salad is a dream of a side dish and will be on my menu all season long!

History of Olivier Potato Salad

This salad is believed to have been invented by Chef Lucien Olivier in Russia in the 1800s. It’s said that the dish was so popular that one of his sous chefs tried to steal the recipe. Chef Olivier published his full recipe later, featuring ingredients like grouse, crayfish tails, and aspic. 

Over the years, the salad has become popular throughout Eastern Europe and has been adapted to use modern, easily available ingredients. 

Ingredients for Olivier Potato Salad

• As you may have guessed, potatoes are the base for this salad. I like to use peeled Yukon potatoes, but any potato will work. 
• For other vegetables, I like to use carrots and fresh English peas (or substitute frozen peas). I blanche them so that they are not raw but still have a slight crunch. 
• Other add-ins for this salad include hard-boiled eggs, which adds to its creaminess, and diced ham. I frequently don’t add the ham as I feel like the salad has great flavor without the meat, but it is traditional in this recipe. 
• While some versions of this recipe call for pickles, I like to mix in fresh dill which adds a bright, herbal flavor to the salad. 

Make It Ahead

This salad is great at room temperature right when you stir it together, but like most potato salads, the flavors benefit from some chilling time. This makes it good for preparing ahead. Once you have everything mixed together, this salad will keep in the fridge for 4 days. 

More Cook Out Sides

• Esquites (Warm Mexican Corn Salad)
• 3-Ingredient Summer Squash
• 5-Minute Cucumber Salad
• Grinder Pasta Salad
• Ranch Potato Salad

Cook the potatoes: 

Bring a medium to large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cube them into about 1/2-inch cubes. Add to the boiling water and simmer until the potatoes are tender but not falling apart, about 12 minutes. 

Drain the potatoes and let cool while you prepare the other ingredients (don’t rinse the potatoes).

Boil the eggs:

Refill your pot with a few inches of water and add the eggs. They should be covered by about an inch of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cover with a lid and turn off the heat. Let sit for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl halfway with ice water.

Use a slotted spoon or tongs to move the eggs from the hot water to the ice water and let sit until cool enough to handle. Peel and chop.

Meanwhile, cook the carrots and peas:

While the eggs cool, add the chopped carrots to the simmering water and cook for 4 minutes. Then add the peas and cook 1 more minute. Drain the carrots and peas.

Assemble the potato salad:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, capers, mustard, salt, and pepper. Add the potatoes, eggs, carrots, peas, ham (if using), and dill and stir together until combined. Taste and add seasoning, if needed. Garnish with dill.

Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

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