Turkish Homemade Potato Salad (Patates Salatasi)
Jun 14, 2019, Updated Jul 22, 2021
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Turkish homemade potato salad is easy and packed with so much flavor thanks to herbs and olives. You only need a handful of ingredients to make this hearty and healthy potato salad at home.
Part of our Mediterranean recipes is dedicated to Turkish cuisine that I love to share with you. Some of our favorite Turkish recipes are white bean salad, doner kebab and smoky eggplant salad. I’m excited to be sharing this no mayo Turkish potato salad with you today, it’s perfect for potlucks, gatherings and barbecues. It’s simple, easy and calls for just a few ingredients.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Light: Turkish potato salad aka patates salatasi is a delicious mayo-free potato salad that’s pretty simple to make and is flavored with a delicious dressing made with olive oil and spices. Since this potato salad is mayo free, it’s lighter than its traditional American version or Russian potato salad and is better for you like its other Mediterranean companions.
- Keeps well outdoors: This healthy potato salad is perfect for barbecue and outdoor parties because it can stay out for hours without going bad. You can make it in advance and take it to parties or potlucks.
- Fresh ingredients: Like many other Turkish recipes, this recipe is made with fresh ingredients and a lot of herbs and is so light. The flavors are so refreshing thanks to all the herbs and spices.
Ingredients To Make Turkish Potato Salad
- Potatoes: It’s best to use starchy potatoes such as yukon gold or russet for this recipe. You can also use baby potatoes like I did in my Mediterranean potato salad and simply cut them in half. If using baby potatoes, there’s no need to peel them.
- Herbs: We are going to use green onions and parsley for this recipe. Use both the green and white part of the green onions. You can also add fresh mint to the salad.
- Olives: Traditionally this recipe is made with black olives. I usually use kalamata olives.
- Eggs: A few hard boiled eggs make this salad hearty and filling. Unlike other potato salads where the eggs are chopped into small pieces and mixed into the salad, for this recipe we top the salad with hard boiled eggs cut into quarters . If you have an instant pot, check out my tutorial on how to make boiled eggs in instant pot.
- Dressing: It’s a simple combination of olive oil, sumac, Aleppo pepper and salt. Sumac is a middle eastern spice that’s dark red and has a tart flavor. You can find it in ethnic shops or online. The dressing is made in a large bowl and then all the ingredients are added to it.
How To Make Turkish Potato Salad
- Wash and dry the potatoes. Then peel them and cut them in half if they’re too large. Place the potatoes in a saucepan or a pot and cover with water. Season the water generously with salt.
- Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until they’re fork tender. This would take about 20 to 30 minutes. Make sure not to overcook them because you need to be able to cut them into chunks.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, drain the water and leave them to cook down.
- In a large bowl mix the ingredients for the dressing. Add the chopped and cooled potatoes to the dressing. Give it a nice stir to make sure all the potatoes are covered with the dressing.
- Add green onions, parsley, and halved Kalamata olives. Mix well and then cover the bowl. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and top with hard boiled eggs.
Variations
Here are a few ways to jazz up this classic Turkish potato salad:
- Some Turkish cooks add chopped or sliced white onion to this homemade potato salad. I have made this salad with and without onions, and both versions are delicious.
- The dressing for this potato salad doesn’t call for lemon juice because of sumac, but if you like a bit of acidity in the salad, add the juice of 1/2 lemon to the dressing.
- I prefer using extra virgin olive oil for this recipe because I love the flavor, however, you can use regular olive oil or light olive oil as well.
Serving Suggestions
No mayo salads such as this Turkish potato salad are the perfect side dish for grilled meat because they’re light and fresh. You can serve this salad with grilled spatchcock chicken, beef shish kabobs, kofta kebab, grilled zaatar chicken, Greek grilled chicken or shrimp kabobs.
Leftovers
Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. To serve, give it a good toss and add some olive oil and sumac to freshen up the flavor. I don’t recommend freezing this dish since the texture and flavor would not be the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Even though homemade potato salad is best served within the first day, this no-mayo potato salad can stay in the fridge for up to two days. Drizzle with some olive oil and lemon juice right before serving to make it taste fresh.
Aleppo pepper, which is very similar to pul biber (Turkish pepper flakes) is a common ingredient in the middle east. However, if you don’t have access to this spice, you can simply use chili flakes.
Yes! If you’re not a fan of eggs in potato salad, you can simply leave them out for this salad.
Yes, you can chop the potatoes into small pieces then boil them in salted water. Make sure not to overcook them so they can keep their shape when tosses with the rest of the ingredients.
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Turkish Homemade Potato Salad (Patates Salatasi)
Ingredients
- 4 large potatoes, Yukon gold or Russet
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil , extra virgin
- 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 2 eggs, boiled and peeled
Instructions
- Wash the potatoes and place them in a large pot. Fill the pot with water until it covers the potatoes. Add a generous pinch of salt and place the pot over medium high heat.
- Bring the water to boil and let the potatoes cook for about 20-30 minutes until they are fork tender. Drain and let the potatoes cool completely.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix olive oil, Aleppo pepper, sumac and salt. Mix well.
- Add the potatoes to the dressing and stir gently to cover all the potatoes in the dressing.
- Add chopped green onion, parsley, and halved Kalamata olives to the potatoes and stir well.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Top with quartered boiled eggs right before serving.
Video
Notes
- Some Turkish cooks add chopped or sliced white onion to this homemade potato salad. I have made this salad with and without onions, and both versions are delicious.
- Cook the potatoes whole and not chopped. When potatoes are cooked whole, they maintain their texture and flavor better.
- The dressing for this potato salad doesn’t call for lemon juice because of sumac, but if you like a bit of acidity in the salad, add the juice of 1/2 lemon to the dressing.
- I prefer using extra virgin olive oil for this recipe because I love the flavor, however, you can use regular olive oil or light olive oil as well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this Turkish version of potato salad. Way better than the classic American one. Delish!
This was such a delicious twist on potato salad. Everyone loved it!
Really enjoyed this potato salad! Flavourful and delicious.
I love the unique flavors in this! It’s so bright and delicious. We love it.
Great recipe for potato salad! Will be making again!
This has so many unique and bold flavors. We all loved it though! A great side to chicken.
This would e perfect for the upcoming holidays! I love that this is super easy to make and is truly homemade and authentic. Thank you for sharing.