My mother used to make this healthy potato salad only at Christmas time and I loved it. I asked her one day why she didn’t make it at any other time but there was no reason, other than she forgot.
And I used to forget that I loved it too…but not anymore.
While I used to be low carb, potatoes are back occasionally with a Ray Peat inspired diet. I have them mashed, baked, boiled then fried with eggs like German Bratkartoffeln and of course healthy potato salad.
However due to the negative effects of starch, I have them only occasionally preferring fruit as my carbohydrate source. When eating starch though, a way to minimise the negative effects is to eat it with a fat – this combination is then what makes it healthy.
We balance our meals carefully in a pro metabolic diet so adding a few spoons of this healthy potato salad to your plate with the rest of your cucumber salad and whatever else you are eating, just adds a creamy taste to liven up the whole plate.
It’s the dressing that makes the whole thing so divine. The normal recipe usually has heavy cream and/or mayonnaise. Some people use sour cream and I used yoghurt for a while, which was awesome too. However I was trying dairy-free for a while and used coconut cream and loved it!
Coconut Cream
I was worried that the coconut cream might make it too sweet tasting and of course potentially too coconutty. But the olive oil and salt seem to overpower it and so it just tastes super creamy and delish.
I find I like it best on a bed of thinly sliced cucumber, a few spoons of the potato salad on top and then tuna in springwater – so unbelievably tasty.
You can have it any way you wish, so let’s get started with the basic recipe:-
Healthy Potato Salad
Equipment
- pot
- chopping board
Ingredients
- 1 large Potato
- 2 Eggs
- 4 TBS Olive Oil
- 4 TBS Coconut Cream or real cream, sour cream or yoghurt
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- pinch Ground Pepper
Instructions
- So with the skin still on the potato, boil in a pot until a sharp knife can easily go through to the middle. Then cool on the bench for a while, then place covered in the fridge to chill – usually overnight is best.
- Hard boil the eggs and chill as well – overnight if you can.
- Peel the potato with a small knife and cut into small cubes, throw in a bowl.
- Peel the eggs, roughly chop and throw in the bowl.
- Then add all the dressing components and mix through.
- Store covered in the fridge for up to three days.
Notes
Optional Extras
Fresh Parsley, Peas, Green Beans, Carrot, Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Raw Sauerkraut, Raw fermented pickles
More notes
Again if you are using any of the other veges listed above, they all must be cooked first then cooled. While Ray Peat wasn’t in favour of fermented food, if you like the taste stir through a couple of spoons full of raw fermented sauerkraut (the one you find in the fridge, so all the “healthy” bacteria are still alive.) Or pickles made the same way – chop finely then add it in. These both will add a great tang to the dish.
Some brands I know that make the real deal pickles and kraut are Louis and Son, and Kehoe’s Kitchen. You should find it in the fridge section of your health shop. Those that are canned, or bottled and stored on the shelf of the supermarket are no good to you, as all “beneficial” bacteria are dead and long gone.
(Just putting the healthy bacteria and beneficial bacteria in inverted commas, as Ray doesn’t seem to think they are, so just make your own choice and see how your body responds.)
I tried adding roasted then cooled pumpkin and it had a sweeter taste but still pretty amazing, I would make it that way again for sure – maybe Potato, Pumpkin, Parsley, Pistachio and Pinenut Salad? Has a great ring to it – the 5 Ps Salad! I’m off to try that now!
(2023 Update: I don’t eat nuts now due to high polyunsaturated fat content, but occasionally Macadamia’s are ok. Read more about polyunsaturated fats and why you should keep away from them here. Also when trying to lose weight, starches are not the best option and should only be eaten occasionally.)
Let me know in the comments of your family favourite potato salad recipe, or if you make mine – I would love to see it!
Enjoy,
Kristy x
