This Dijon-Parmesan Potato Salad With Peas is a quick and easy side dish that has lots of tangy flavor and can be served at room temperature or chilled!
Plus, you get a pretty pop of color and (more importantly) some extra veggies by adding in those gorgeous green peas. This, my friends, is our new favorite potato salad!
Yes, summer is coming to a close, and potato salad is probably most often thought of as a summer side dish (although you can absolutely enjoy it any time of the year). So why am I posting this recipe now?
Because it’s too darn good not to!
Besides, we still have nearly 4 whole weeks of summer left with Labor Day right around the corner, and so I wanted to share this yummy potato and pea salad because you might want to try something a little different for the last big picnic of the season!
So, earlier this summer, David got a BIG hankering for a mustardy potato salad. It’s not that he doesn’t like my Classic Creamy Potato Salad (which doesn’t have any mustard in it)…he just wanted a change.
After a little searching, he found a recipe that he thought would be good, and we made a batch. It was really good!
We made it a few more times after that, changing the ingredients here and there to suit our own personal tastes until we got it exactly where we wanted it to be.
The final version – the one I have for you today – came when we were harvesting the fresh peas from our garden, and I decided to throw some into the salad because I just had sooo many of them (and thawed frozen peas work just as well).
It only took one look and one bite for us both to decide that it was absolutely perfect!
The mustard and vinegar are tangy, the parmesan is nutty and salty, a little cayenne pepper provides a hint of heat in the background that amplifies all the flavors rather than making it hot, and the peas add a bit of sweetness.
We’ve been making it non-stop all summer long!
And – bonus – by making a pea and potato salad, you could totally skip making a separate vegetable side dish if you wanted!
Ingredients You Need:
Note: Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Potatoes (I use golden potatoes; you could also use red)
- Mayonnaise
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Dijon mustard
- Apple cider vinegar
- Cayenne pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Red onion
- Peas (thawed frozen; canned not recommended)
- Salt
- Black pepper
Note: The above video is just a brief overview of the steps. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe with detailed instructions.
Tips & Tidbits:
- Either golden or red potatoes are great for this recipe because they hold their shape well and the skin is so thin you don’t need to peel them (but you can if you want).
- I don’t recommend russet potatoes because they can more easily get mushy and fall apart.
- Salting the potato cooking water is very important for a flavorful salad; the potatoes can be bland otherwise. There’s no need to overdo it, but you can be a little generous with the amount. For this recipe, I use about 2 teaspoons of kosher salt in the water.
- The small amount of cayenne pepper really makes a difference, and I highly recommend keeping it in. It doesn’t make the potato salad hot; it just adds a little heat that (I think) enhances all the flavors.
- I use red onions for the color, but any onion will do (yellow, white, sweet, green, etc.).
- To quickly thaw frozen peas, just place them in a colander and run them under warm water until thawed. Drain well so they don’t make your salad watery.
- If you’d like to use fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, and place in ice water to cool before draining and adding to the salad.
- I don’t recommend using canned peas, as they tend to be mushy with a not-so-green color and have a different flavor that doesn’t really work here.
- You can serve this potato salad at room temperature (it’s excellent right after you mix it together, so you can eat it right away…which I think is when it’s best), or you can let it chill out in the fridge for a few hours and serve it cold. It’s fantastic either way!
- As with any mayonnaise-based potato salad, never let it sit out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (and even less than that if the temperature is very warm). If it’s been out too long, discard it.
- Store the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days (note: if you are storing leftovers that were sitting out for a bit, such as at a picnic, the time it lasts could be significantly less).
This recipe makes about 3 cups total and will give you 4 generous or 6 smaller side dish servings. If you’re feeding a crowd and need more, just scale up the recipe for the amount you need.
I will most definitely be making this all year long!
I hope you try this Dijon-Parmesan Potato Salad With Peas recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
More Side Dish Salad Recipes You Might Like…
- Classic Creamy Potato Salad
- Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potato Salad
- Classic Creamy Pea Salad
- Cucumber and Onion Salad
- Classic Creamy Macaroni Salad
If you make this recipe, I’d love to know how it went! Please leave a star rating and comment below. Thanks!
Dijon-Parmesan Potato Salad With Peas
Ingredients
- 1 pound golden or red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (I keep the skins on, but you can peel them if you'd rather)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup diced red onions
- 1 heaping cup thawed frozen peas, drained well to remove any water
Instructions
- Place the cubed potatoes in a pot (I use a 3-quart pot) and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, add salt to taste, and cook just until fork-tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.Salting the potato cooking water is very important for a flavorful salad; the potatoes can be bland otherwise. There's no need to overdo it, but you can be a little generous with the amount. For this recipe, I use about 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.
- Drain the potatoes and then spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet or tray and allow them to cool for 5 to 10 minutes until they are mostly cooled.It's okay if they are still slightly warm; you just don't want them to be hot because that could cause the mayonnaise in the dressing to break.
- While the potatoes are cooling, mix together the mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well-combined.
- Add the potatoes, onions and peas to the bowl with the dressing; gently stir until well-combined and everything is evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve immediately at room temperature (this is when I think it's the best). If you'd rather serve it chilled, once it's completely cool, cover and place it in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
Notes
- I use red onions for color, but any kind will do (yellow, white, sweet, green, etc.).
- To quickly thaw frozen peas, just place them in a colander and run them under warm water until thawed. Drain well so they don’t make your salad watery.
- To use fresh peas: blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, and place in ice water to cool before draining and adding to the salad.
- As with any mayonnaise-based potato salad, never let it sit out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (and even less than that if the temperature is very warm). If it has been out too long, discard it.
- Store the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days (note: if you are storing leftovers that were sitting out for a bit, such as at a picnic, the time it lasts could be significantly less).
- Estimated calories shown is based on 4 servings. For 6 smaller servings, estimated calories would be 154 each.
Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.
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