This mayo-free potato salad is light, healthy, and refreshing — a perfect pairing with crisp and peppery Grüner Veltliner, Austria’s most famous white wine. Read more about this delicious wine here.

The dish is best enjoyed cold or at room temperature, and served alongside Weiner Schnitzel, one of Austria’s national dishes made of thin, breaded and deep fried veal. But it can also be a great side dish with many other foods like grilled fish, poultry, pork, and red meats, as well as pasta, cheeses, and fresh, seasonal vegetables — really, just about anything.

Although summer is sadly winding down, there’s still time to enjoy warm weather meals with loved ones — masks on, socially distanced, and outside! Let’s raise our glasses of Grüner Veltliner and say, as they do in Austria, “Guten Appetit” (enjoy your meal) and “Prost” (cheers) to wine, food, and friends.

Austrian Potato Salad (Erdäpfelsalat)

Recipe adapted from Seriouseats.com

Tip: Storing potatoes in the refrigerator helps convert the starches to sugars, giving the potatoes a hint of sweetness and a creamier texture.

Ingredients

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, quartered, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

Kosher salt

3 tablespoons cider vinegar, divided, plus more to taste

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 & 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3/4 cup minced red onion (about 1 small onion)

1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

1/2 cup homemade or store bought chicken broth

1/4 cup liquid from a jar of sweet pickled gherkins

2 teaspoons sugar

Freshly ground white or black pepper

1) Place sliced potatoes in a large sauce pan or Dutch oven and cover with water. Season generously with salt. Add just enough water to submerge potato skins. Bring to a boil over high heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

2) Drain potatoes, and transfer to a baking sheet to cool. Immediately sprinkle with 2 tablespoons vinegar and set aside. When they are cool enough to handle, transfer potatoes to a large bowl.

3) Add remaining vinegar, olive oil, mustard, red onion, celery, chives, chicken broth, gherkin liquid, and sugar to potatoes. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, roughly stir and fold mixture so that potatoes release some starch and liquid begins to thicken a little. Season to taste with more salt and white or black pepper. Set aside to rest for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. (If resting longer than 4 hours, cover bowl and transfer to refrigerator.)

4) Stir again vigorously to thicken dressing; it should have a loose but not soupy consistency. If it's too thick, thin it out with a little extra water and re-season. Serve cold or at room temperature as a side dish to meat and vegetables.