Food & Cooking Recipes Salad Recipes Potato and Green Bean Salad 3.3 (142) 3 Reviews This mayo-free potato salad is bright, tangy, and delicious with grilled meat. By Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire. Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 17, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 15 mins Total Time: 25 mins Servings: 4 Our potato and green bean salad is a lively side dish that makes a great accompaniment to grilled chicken, pork, or steak. This French-inspired recipe is reminiscent of a salade Niçoise, with tender baby potatoes and crisp green beans mingling in a mustardy vinaigrette. To make it, the beans are boiled until they turn bright green and just begin to soften. After transferring them to an ice bath, the potatoes are cooked in the same pot until tender. All that’s left to do is whip up a quick and easy vinaigrette to toss with the warm potatoes, crisp beans, and a little crunchy red onion. Just as delicious served warm as at room temperature, this salad is perfect for summer potlucks and picnics or an anynight dinner and it's ready in under 30 minutes. 23 Colorful Summer Side Dishes to Make Right Now Brie Goldman Key Ingredients for Potato and Green Bean Salad Green beans: Fresh green beans add welcome crunch to this salad. Use whatever looks best to you when shopping, from classic green beans to yellow wax beans to thinner haricots verts. Just be sure to trim off the stems before cooking. Baby potatoes: You can use any small, quick-cooking potatoes for this salad, from baby red and yellow potatoes to fingerlings. We prefer to peel the potatoes, but you can certainly leave the thin skins on if you'd like. Red onion: Half of a cup of thinly sliced red onion lends a bit of bite to this side dish. If you prefer a milder flavor, you can soak the red onion in cold water for 10 minutes before adding it to the mix. In place of red onion, you could swap in an equal amount of thinly sliced shallot. Whole grain mustard: While we usually reach for creamy Dijon mustard for our vinaigrettes, we love the tangy pop that whole grain mustard provides here. If you can't find it, substitute Dijon in its place. Fresh thyme: A bit of fresh thyme adds subtle earthiness to the vinaigrette. If you only have dried thyme on hand, use 3/4 teaspoon. Be sure to have an ice bath ready to go by the time the green beans are ready to come out of the pot. It's crucial to stop their cooking right away so they maintain some crunch and their bright green color. Make Ahead You can make this salad one day before you plan to serve it, but we'd recommend leaving out the red onion until day of as its flavor can become stronger the longer it sits. Let the salad come to room temperature before serving and give it a quick taste—you may want to add a bit more oil, lemon juice, or salt. Ingredients 6 ounces green beans 2 pounds peeled small potatoes ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 4 teaspoons lemon juice 4 teaspoons whole-grain mustard 2 teaspoons chopped thyme leaves ½ cup thinly sliced red onion Coarse salt Directions Brie Goldman Cook beans: Simmer green beans in salted water until barely tender and bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Brie Goldman Transfer to ice bath; drain: Remove with a slotted spoon or wire-mesh skimmer, and transfer to a bowl of ice water. Drain, and pat dry. Brie Goldman Add potatoes to pot; cook: Add potatoes to the same pot of salted water, and simmer until tender, about 12 minutes. Brie Goldman Drain potatoes; halve: Drain potatoes, and halve them. Brie Goldman Make vinaigrette: Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, and thyme in a large bowl. Brie Goldman Toss with potatoes, beans, and onion; season: Add potatoes, beans, and red onion. Gently toss. Season with salt. Brie Goldman Storage Our potato and green bean salad can be refrigerated for up to four days in an airtight container. For best results, let it come to room temperature before serving as the olive oil will solidify when refrigerated. Variations While this salad is delicious as is, there are plenty of ways to make it your own: Try switching up the herbs—basil, chives, and tarragon would all be delicious here. A handful of capers or finely chopped cornichons would add even more brightness. For more heft, toss in a few quartered, hard-boiled eggs. To bump up the crunch, toss in a handful of baby greens like arugula or spinach. 6 More Potato Salad Recipes to Try: Basic Potato Salad Old-Fashioned German Potato Salad Martha's Favorite Potato Salad Balsamic Potato Salad Dill, Potato, and Egg Salad French Potato Salad Frequently Asked Questions How can I tell when potatoes are cooked? Boiled potatoes are cooked when a fork can slide in without any resistance. Be careful not to overcook them; the potatoes shouldn't be so tender that they fall apart when pricked. How can I tell when green beans are cooked? For this recipe, you'll want the green beans to be crisp-tender, which means they've lost most of their raw bite but aren't completely soft. They should be bright green, retain a bit of crunch, and still hold their shape. Be sure to transfer them to an ice bath immediately to stop them from cooking. How long can this potato salad sit out? This potato salad can sit out for up to two hours at room temperature, or one hour if it's very warm. Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, June 2012 Rate It PRINT Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and freelance writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.