When it comes to side dishes, potato salad is a timeless favorite at picnics, barbecues, and family gatherings. While classic traditional versions typically rely on celery and onion for their crunch and flavor, this creamy potato salad, which can be made with either red or gold potatoes, or a combination of the two, incorporates a generous amount of chopped fennel bulb and finely chopped fennel fronds for a refreshing crunch and an unexpected fresh burst of flavor.
Imagine you’ve been invited to a picnic or outside gathering. Now, try to imagine which side dish you would most want to see there. Would it be a pasta salad with lots of fresh vegetables, diced cubes of cheddar cheese, and possibly some green or black olives mixed in? Or maybe a tangy coleslaw made with both red and green cabbage? Or, if you’re like me, would it be a super-creamy potato salad with just the right amount of seasoning and homemade dressing? Given a choice between all three of those side dishes, nine times out of ten, I’m headed straight for the potato salad. And if the potato salad just so happens to be this version, loaded with lots of crunchy and flavorful fennel, before anything else even hits my sadly all-too-flimsy paper plate, I’m probably making a beeline straight for the potato salad.
Ingredients:
- Cold Water
- 1 Teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
- 2 1/2 Pounds Potatoes (Approximately 8 Cups)
- 2 Small Bulbs of Fresh Fennel, Finely Chopped (Approximately 2 Cups)
- 1 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Teaspoon Finely Ground Sea Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/4 Cup Fennel Fronds, Very Finely Chopped
Directions:
- Fill a large pot 3/4 full with cold water and add the coarse sea salt.
- Wash or brush any dirt off of the potatoes under cold running water. Cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces, somewhat uniform in size.
- Add the cut potatoes to the pot of cold water. Cook the potatoes on high heat for 18 to 22 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Drain the cooked potatoes and gently rinse them under cold running water for 1 minute to help cool them down. Make sure to drain off any excess water.
- To make the potato salad dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise, heavy whipping cream, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, ground sea salt, black pepper, and onion powder in a large glass bowl.
- Add the drained potatoes into the bowl of salad dressing along with the chopped fennel bulb and finely chopped fennel fronds. Gently stir to combine.
- Tightly cover and refrigerate until chilled.
Suggestions:
- I used a combination of potatoes for this salad. I used medium red potatoes and small gold potatoes. You can use whatever variety of potatoes you prefer. Just make sure to cut the potatoes into the same approximate size so that they cook somewhat evenly.
- I did not peel any of the potatoes for this recipe. If you prefer the potatoes peeled, go ahead and peel them.
- Start testing the tenderness of the potatoes after 18 minutes. You want to make sure that the potatoes are cooked through and tender but do not overcook and become mushy. The amount of time the potatoes take to cook will depend on how small or large you cut them.
- Two small bulbs of fresh fennel will yield approximately 2 cups of finely chopped fennel. You can use a little less or a little more depending on the size of the fennel bulbs you purchase.
- Some bulbs of fennel have lots of fronds while others have very few fronds. I used a 1/4 cup in this recipe. If your fennel bulbs have less fronds, you may have to use less in this recipe.
- Since this potato salad has vinegar in it, make sure to use a glass or ceramic bowl to make and store it.
- Reserve a few very finely chopped fennel fronds to garnish the potato salad.
Improvements:
- Grate the zest of one lemon into the potato salad dressing and replace the apple cider vinegar with fresh lemon juice.
- Add finely chopped or crumbled crispy bacon to the potato salad.
- Garnish the potato salad with finely chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds.
- Serve this potato salad with this Flounder Cordon Bleu, these Pork Chops with Lemon Caper Butternut Squash, or these Grilled Lemon Pepper Marinated Chicken Tenders.
Ingredients:
- Cold Water
- 1 Teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
- 2 1/2 Pounds Potatoes (Approximately 8 Cups)
- 2 Small Bulbs of Fresh Fennel, Finely Chopped (Approximately 2 Cups)
- 1 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Teaspoon Finely Ground Sea Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/4 Cup Fennel Fronds, Very Finely Chopped
Directions:
- Fill a large pot 3/4 full with cold water and add the coarse sea salt.
- Wash or brush any dirt off of the potatoes under cold running water. Cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces, somewhat uniform in size.
- Add the cut potatoes to the pot of cold water. Cook the potatoes on high heat for 18 to 22 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Drain the cooked potatoes and gently rinse them under cold running water for 1 minute to help cool them down. Make sure to drain off any excess water.
- To make the potato salad dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise, heavy whipping cream, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, ground sea salt, black pepper, and onion powder in a large glass bowl.
- Add the drained potatoes into the bowl of salad dressing along with the chopped fennel bulb and finely chopped fennel fronds. Gently stir to combine.
- Tightly cover and refrigerate until chilled.
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In 2024, we’ll be cooking and baking our way through the alphabet with several of our food blogger friends. Every other Wednesday, for the 2024 Alphabet Challenge, we’ll be sharing a new recipe featuring a consecutive letter of the alphabet, starting with A in January and ending with Z in December.
“A” – Dried Apple & Bourbon Oven-Baked Sauerkraut
“B” – Spicy Barbecue Seasoned Rice Chex Mix
“C” – Dove Dark Chocolate Chunk Cakey Muffins
“D” – Italian Deviled Eggs with Heart-Shaped Tomatoes
“E” – Buttery Everything Bagel Seasoning Biscuits
“F” – Butternut Squash Soup with French Herbes
“G” – Creamy Simple Stovetop Gouda Mac & Cheese
“H” – Sweet Honey Deviled Eggs with Fennel Fronds
“I” – Orange & Feta Italian Orzo Pasta Salad
“J” – Brown Sugar Caribbean Jerk Seasoning
“K” – Kalamata, Mozzarella, & Tomato Couscous Salad
“L” – Fresh Dill Deviled Eggs with a Hint of Lemon
“M” – Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Fresh Mint
“N” – Great Northern Bean Summer Caprese Salad
“O” – Firecracker Oatmeal Peanut Butter Blossoms
“P” – Creamy Potato Salad with Crunchy Fennel
“Q” – Butternut Squash Taco Ravioli with Queso Fresco
“R” – Cheeseburger Broccoli Rice Soup Casserole
“S” – Sweet Whiskey Skillet Teriyaki Chicken
“T” – Baked Chicken Tenders with Crushed Fritos
“U” – Unsweetened Coconut Oatmeal Peach Crisp
“V” – Sweet & Spicy Balsamic Vinegar Deviled Eggs
“W” – Whiskey-Soaked Raisin Baked Stove Top Stuffing
Please make sure to check out the other great “P” recipes below. A huge thanks to A Day in the Life on the Farm for hosting this 2024 Alphabet Challenge event.
- A Parade of Pickles, Including Pickled Chard Stems by Culinary Cam
- Creamy Potato Salad with Crunchy Fennel by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Easy Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Bark by Blogghetti
- Homemade Piri Piri Sauce by Food Luck People Love
- Layered Berry Panna Cotta by A Messy Kitchen
- Palak Paneer Paratha by Mayuri’s Jikoni
- Parsley Pesto by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Peas and Poppyseed Paratha by Magical Ingredients
- Pork Carnitas (Instant Pot) by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Puneri Batata Vada by Sneha’s Recipe
- Southern Potato Salad by A Day in the Life on the Farm
