Middle Eastern Potato Salad

This Middle Eastern Potato Salad is a hearty twist on a classic, packed with smoky chorizo, creamy cannellini beans, and fragrant spices. It’s the perfect side dish for your next barbecue or a light, delicious meal on its own. The dressing is rich and creamy with a hint of spice, bringing everything together in a delicious bowl of goodness. You can pre-make it even a day before, so it is perfect for a picnic or entertaining. In fact, I think the flavour improves with time!

Health benefits

This Middle Eastern Potato Salad isn’t just packed with flavour; it’s also a source of resistant starch, thanks to the cooled potatoes. When potatoes are cooked and then cooled, their starch changes into a type of fibre known as resistant starch. This can support gut health by feeding beneficial bacteria and may also help with blood sugar control. The fresh herbs, like parsley, are rich in antioxidants and nutrients that support overall health, adding both flavour and a nutritious boost to this dish. So, you’re not just enjoying a delicious salad but giving your body some great benefits too!

Ingredients

To make this gluten-free potato salad, you’ll need a mix of waxy potatoes, chorizo, cannellini beans, red onion, fresh parsley, a good quality whole egg mayonnaise, and a few spices for the dressing. Don’t forget to toast some pumpkin seeds for a crunchy topping!

How to make this homemade potato salad recipe

Start by cooking the potatoes in a large pot until just fork tender and allow to cool fully. Then mix with crispy chorizo, beans, and fresh herbs. Whip up the dressing with mayo, spices, and a splash of sherry vinegar, then gently toss everything together for a well-balanced, delicious dish.

Serving suggestions and how to store

Serve this salad at room temperature as a side or main dish. It’s great with grilled meats of any kind. We even love it as a side on Christmas day! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s can be eaten fresh, but the flavours actually get better after a day.

Vary this to suit your dietary needs

To make it vegetarian, swap the chorizo for smoked paprika, sun-dried tomatoes and extra beans. Roasted sweet potato makes a great alternative to regular potatoes, and if you’re not a fan of onion, sliced radish works well too. Check out the variations below the main recipe for tips on how to adapt it to your specific dietary needs.

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Middle Eastern Potato Salad

Prep 20 minutes minutes

Cook 20 minutes minutes

Total 40 minutes minutes

Serves: 4

This is my absolute favourite Potato Salad, it is so much more flavoursome than its standard version. Once you try it, you'll never make another.

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Ingredients

• 1 kg potato/s -Kipfler, Desiree or dutch creams hold together well for a salad, diced into roughly 2cm pieces (peeled or unpeeled is a matter of personal preference)
• 1 chorizo sausage -sliced
• 425 g can cannellini beans -drained and rinsed (or cook your own)
• 1 red onion/s -halved and thinly sliced
• 1 bunch/s fresh parsley leaves -leaves roughly picked
• 30 g pumpkin seeds (¼ cup) toasted to serve, optional

Dressing

• 200 g whole egg mayonnaise -homemade is my preference (or a good quality creamy whole-egg mayonnaise, just not low-fat which contains shocking amounts of sugar)
• 1 tbsp reserved chorizo fat (optional)
• ½ tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ¼ - ½ tsp chilli flakes -depending on how much spice you like
• 1 tsp sherry vinegar -this can be hard to find, but adds an amazing depth of flavour
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper -to taste

Method

• Firstly boil or steam your potatoes until they are just cooked through but not overcooked. The only way to get this right is to keep checking. When a knife or fork can pass through the potato without resistance, take them from the heat, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water.
• Sit in the colander until they have drained well. Once drained, place the potato in a large salad bowl and allow to cool fully.
• In a small fry pan, cook the chorizo on both sides until crispy.
• Set aside and reserve about a tablespoon of the fat from the pan. Cool, then cut the chorizo rounds in half.
• Add to the potato along with the cannellini beans, red onion, and parsley.

For the dressing

• Make your own mayonnaise, or take a good quality whole egg mayonnaise and add all of the dressing ingredients in and mix until combined well.
• Finally, add the mayonnaise dressing to the potato mixture and gently fold through taking care not to break up the potatoes and cannellini beans too much.
• Place in a large salad bowl or on a platter. Scatter with extra parsley leaves and pumpkin seeds (if desired), cover (refrigerate if necessary).
• Serve at room temperature when desired.

Store

• Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Variations

Vegetarian

Omit the chorizo and add ½ teaspoon smoked paprika and sun-dried tomatoes. Add extra beans if you like.

Onion-free

Replace the onion with 5 sliced radish.

Sweet potato

Replace all or some of the potato with diced sweet potato that has been oven roasted in coconut oil, salt, and pepper.

Chorizo options

Many local butchers make great additive free chorizo sausage. You could also sub with salami or another spicy sausage. 

Gluten-free

Just make sure the chorizo you buy is gluten-free.

 

 

I'd love to know how you like this potato salad.  Post a comment below. 

 

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