A colorful, flavorful classic potato salad with a twist. This vegan purple and white potato salad by vegan chef and blogger, Jenné Claiborne from Sweet Potato Soul is perfect for your next cookout.
Join me in celebrating Juneteenth with 18 other Black culinary creators. This year, we are honoring 19 Black American cookbook authors by recreating their recipes, amplifying their work, and sharing our connections to Freedom Day. Juneteenth marks our country’s second independence day, the final emancipation of those enslaved in the US announced in 1865. Share these recipes with your family and help us continue the legacy of celebrating progress. Additionally, you can easily follow each participant by using the hashtag #JuneteenthCookout2022 on Instagram.
This collaboration is brought to you by Eat the Culture.
If you’ve been tasked with bringing the potato salad to your Juneteenth cookout, you’ve come to the right place! Jenné Claiborne’s Purple and White Potato Salad is sure to impress. I’m sharing her recipe for this classic cookout side with a modern twist.
What I love about this recipe is that it’s simple, calls for all plant-based ingredients, and has added freshness with a healthy amount of dill. Purple potatoes may be a new ingredient for some, however this recipe is sure to please even the most skeptical relatives at the cookout. If you know, you know that black people always have to ask “who made the potato salad?”. With this recipe, you can confidently own up to it and accept the honor of being allowed to bring it for future events. We can thank Jenné for that! Let’s get into the recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Making the perfect cookout side is all about simple ingredients. Here is what you will need:
- Potatoes – Yukon gold and purple potatoes. You can use larger potatoes or baby potatoes like I did in these photos. Using both purple and white potatoes really makes this a visually stunning potato salad.
- Vegan mayonnaise – What’s great about this dish is that everyone can enjoy it! A good vegan mayo provides the creamy, tangy base that we all love in potato salad.
- Shallots – shallots have a delicate, sweet flavor that’s much milder than onions.
- Ume plum vinegar – You probably don’t have this in your pantry but plum vinegar is pretty easy to find and highly recommended! In a pinch, Jenné recommends substituting with sweet relish.
- Dijon mustard – Standard addition to potato salad.
- Fresh dill – A healthy amount of fresh dill brings a wonderful herbiness to the dish.
- Salt & Pepper – to taste.
Method
Start by boiling the potatoes. The key is cooking them until just fork tender and not completely falling apart. You want them to stay in tact and not turn into mashed potatoes.
While the potatoes are boiling, make the dressing by combining mayo, mustard, shallots, ume plum vinegar, fresh dill and salt and pepper. Set that aside and let the flavors meld.
Drain the potatoes and let them dry. They should be fully dry and cool enough to handle comfortably before you attempt to assemble the salad.
If you’re using large potatoes, remove the skins and cube the potatoes. If you’re using baby potatoes like I did in this post, you can leave the thin skins on and simply half or quarter into bite-size pieces.
In a large bowl, pour the dressing over the cooked, cubed potatoes and use a wooden spoon to gently toss, being careful not to break up the potatoes too much. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least two hours, preferably overnight. This is a great dish to make ahead!
Tips for making the best potato salad
- Perfectly cooked potatoes are the key to this recipe. They should be tender but not fall apart so be sure to watch them carefully.
- Finely mince the shallot so it evenly distributes throughout the salad to achieve a uniform flavor.
- Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.
- Check for seasoning after chilling and before serving as the flavors have had time to meld.
- Potato salad is best served chilled so if possible, put your serving dish on ice.
A love letter
Sweet Potato Soul is a must-have cookbook for any home cook that is inspired to explore traditional Southern food with plant-based recipes. I think a lot of people have the misconception that soul food isn’t healthy and/or vegan. Jenné is changing hearts, minds and tummies with her incredibly delicious recipes. From collard greens to cornbread to mac and cheese and potato salad, she’s done it all with simple, easy to find ingredients and a modern twist. Thank you, Jenné for showing us that with a few swaps here and there, we really can truly enjoy all of the traditional foods we love. Food that’s good for your heart, health and soul.
I hope you’ll try this potato salad recipe very soon and check out more amazing recipes from Sweet Potato Soul. Be sure to pin this recipe to take to the Juneteenth cookout and follow the hashtag #JuneteenthCookout2022 to see more amazing creations by black food bloggers honoring black cookbook authors.
More cookout recipes you’ll love
- BBQ Baby Back Ribs
- Stone Fruit Salad with Honey Lemon and Thyme
- Grilled Corn and Zucchini Salad
- Marinated Cauliflower Salad
Jenné Claiborne’s Purple and White Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 3 small Yukon Gold potatoes
- 3 small Purple potatoes
- ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons minced shallots
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons ume plum vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot, cover whole, unpeeled potatoes with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes until potatoes are fork tender but not mushy.
- While the potatoes are cooking, whisk together vegan mayonnaise, shallots, dill, ume plum vinegar, mustard and salt until well combined.
- Strain the cooked potatoes and let dry completely. When cool enough to handle comfortably, remove the skins and cut the potatoes into ½ inch cubes. Place potatoes in a large bowl.
- Pour dressing over cooled potatoes and use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to gently combine until potatoes are well coated.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight before serving.
Notes
- If using baby potatoes like I did for this post, I recommend a 1.5 pound bag. The cook time will be shorter so check often. Half or quarter the potatoes and leave the skin on. Follow the recipe as instructed.
- Before serving, toss gently to reincorporate dressing and taste for seasoning.
Nutrition
More Juneteenth recipes from Black creators
Jam Cake prepared by Britney Breaks Bread from the book Jubilee
Mini Red Velvet Cake by Chenée Today from the book Life Is What You Bake It
Soy Lime Beef Stir Fry by Coined Cuisine from the book Cooking Solo
Pinto Beans with Smoked Neck Bones by Cooks with Soul from the book Bludso’s BBQ Cookbook
Black Pepper Strawberry Slab Pie by Dash of Jazz from the book Watermelon and Red Birds
Buffalo Cheezy Sweet Potato Fries by Flights and Foods from the book Unbelievably Vegan
Grilled Pork Porterhouse Steaks by Food Fidelity from the book Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ: Every Day Is a Good Day
Barbecue Baked Beans with Red Spice by Geo’s Table from the book Son of a Southern Chef
Jamaican Beef Patty by Her Mise En Place from the book My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef
Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Spicy Vegetable Relish by Kenneth Temple from the book In Bibi’s Kitchen
Red Velvet Cake with Blackberry Frosting by Lenox Bakery from the book Grandbaby Cakes
Very Strawberry Shortcake by Mekio And The Dish from the book The New Orleans Cook Book
Pig-Pickin’ Cake by My Sweet Precision from the book Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking
Blackberry Peach Crumble Pie by Peaches2Peaches from the book Carla Hall’s Soul Food
African Soul Rice Salad with Crispy Collards by Savor & Sage from the book The Cooking Gene
Grape-Tarragon Spritzer by Sense and Edibility from the book Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora
All-Green Everything Salad with Creamy Sage Dressing by That Green Lyfe from the book Vegetable Kingdom
Rum Rum Punch by This Worthey Life from the book The Red Rooster Cookbook
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