Spring Potato Salad with Crispy Prosciutto, Fresh Peas, and Zesty Tarragon Vinaigrette

Embrace the vibrant flavors of spring with this exceptionally refreshing Spring Potato Salad, a delightful departure from your everyday side dish. Perfect for barbecue nights, complementing juicy ribs or a perfectly grilled steak, this salad offers a fantastic balance of creamy potatoes, crisp prosciutto, and sweet, tender peas. It’s a wonderful way to incorporate your greens without relying on traditional lettuce, and you won’t miss it once you experience the glorious crunch of the savory prosciutto and the bright burst of fresh herbs. This recipe transforms simple, wholesome ingredients into an unforgettable culinary experience, making it an ideal choice for gatherings, picnics, or a special weeknight meal. Get ready to elevate your potato salad game and impress your guests with its unique taste and beautiful presentation.

The Essential Ingredients for a Stellar Spring Potato Salad

Crafting this incredible potato salad relies on a thoughtful selection of everyday ingredients that, when combined, create a symphony of flavors and textures. You’ll find everything you need at your local grocery store, proving that extraordinary meals don’t require exotic items. Each component plays a crucial role, contributing to the overall deliciousness that will undoubtedly make this your new favorite potato salad recipe.

Highlighting Key Flavors and Textures

• Fingerling Potatoes: These small, elongated potatoes are perfect for salads due to their firm texture that holds up well after cooking. Their waxy nature prevents them from becoming overly starchy or mushy, ensuring each bite has a pleasant mouthfeel.
• Fresh Spring Peas (Sugar Snap and English Peas): The star of the “spring” aspect, these peas bring a burst of natural sweetness and vibrant green color. Sugar snap peas offer a delightful crunch, while English peas provide a softer, tender pop. Their combination adds a wonderful textual and visual contrast to the salad.
• Crispy Prosciutto: This Italian dry-cured ham transforms into irresistible, salty, and crunchy bits when baked. It introduces a savory depth and a textural excitement that elevates the entire dish, making it a fantastic alternative to bacon bits and adding a gourmet touch.
• Fresh Tarragon: Often overlooked, tarragon is my absolute favorite herb and truly shines in this recipe. Its unique, subtle anise-like flavor provides an unparalleled sophistication and freshness, distinguishing this potato salad from more traditional versions. It’s a highly undervalued herb that brings a distinctive note, steering clear of anything mundane.
• Red Onion: Thinly sliced red onion adds a sharp, piquant flavor and a beautiful color. We’ll mellow its raw bite slightly with the dressing, ensuring it complements rather than overpowers the other ingredients.

For the Tangy Tarragon Vinaigrette:

The dressing is the binding force that marries all these beautiful ingredients. It’s a tangy, creamy, and herbaceous concoction that provides moisture and brightens every element. The simplicity of tossing these ingredients into a jar and shaking vigorously makes preparation a breeze.

• Champagne Vinegar: Its delicate, balanced tartness is ideal for a vinaigrette. It offers a milder acidity compared to other vinegars, allowing the fresh flavors of the herbs and peas to come through.
• Dijon Mustard: Acts as an emulsifier, helping to bind the oil and vinegar, while also contributing a subtle, tangy kick.
• Olive Oil: A good quality extra virgin olive oil forms the base of the vinaigrette, adding a fruity richness.
• Greek Yogurt: This is a secret ingredient for a creamy, healthier dressing. It adds a lovely tang and body without the heaviness of mayonnaise, making the salad feel lighter and more refreshing.
• Kosher Salt & Freshly Cracked Black Pepper: Essential for seasoning, enhancing all the natural flavors.

The delightful interplay between the tangy vinaigrette, the satisfying crunch of crispy prosciutto, and the gentle, tender potatoes creates a simple yet absolutely AMAZING combination. It’s a harmonious blend of flavors and textures that you’ll crave again and again.

For precise ingredient measurements and detailed instructions, please use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll down to the bottom to view the complete recipe card.

Crafting Your Spring Potato Salad: Step-by-Step Instructions

While this recipe involves a few distinct steps, the process is straightforward and incredibly rewarding. The key to success is a little preparation and sequential cooking. You’ll primarily need just one large pot of boiling water, making cleanup relatively easy. Let’s walk through each stage to ensure your potato salad is nothing short of perfection.

1. Blanching and Shocking the Peas for Vibrant Color and Crispness

Begin by bringing a large pot of water to a rolling boil. This single pot will serve multiple purposes, making your cooking process efficient. Once the water is boiling, the first task is to prepare your fresh peas.

• Sugar Snap Peas: Gently add the sugar snap peas to the boiling water. They only need to cook for about 2-3 minutes to soften slightly and remove their raw edge while retaining a pleasant crispness. Overcooking will make them mushy and dull their color.
• English Peas: Follow with the English peas, cooking them for an even shorter duration, typically 1 to 1.5 minutes. They are more delicate and cook faster.
• Shocking: Immediately after cooking, remove the peas with a slotted spoon or spider and plunge them into a prepared bowl of ice water. This crucial step, known as “shocking,” halts the cooking process, preserves their vibrant green color, and maintains their crisp-tender texture. Once cooled, drain them thoroughly and pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel. Excess moisture can dilute your dressing.

2. Cooking the Fingerling Potatoes to Perfection

Once the peas are out and your ice bath is ready, bring the same pot of water back to a boil. Add your fingerling potatoes to the pot. Cook them until they are just tender when pierced with a fork or knife, typically 8-10 minutes. It’s crucial not to overcook them; they should hold their shape for the salad and not turn mushy. They will continue to firm up slightly as they cool. Drain the potatoes and let them cool completely to room temperature before adding them to the salad.

3. Preparing the Zesty Tarragon Vinaigrette

While the potatoes are cooking, you can swiftly prepare the star of the dressing: the tarragon vinaigrette. This method is incredibly simple and effective.

• Combine in a Jar: Place all the vinaigrette ingredients – champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, black pepper, olive oil, Greek yogurt, and fresh chopped tarragon – into a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid.
• Shake it Up: Secure the lid and shake vigorously for about 10-15 seconds until all ingredients are thoroughly combined and emulsified into a smooth, creamy dressing. This method is quick, easy, and ensures a perfectly blended vinaigrette. Set it aside or refrigerate until needed.

4. Achieving Perfectly Crispy Prosciutto

Crispy prosciutto is a game-changer for this salad. It’s a fantastic task to undertake while your potatoes are boiling. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

• Bake until Crisp: Lay the slices of prosciutto in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until the prosciutto is gloriously crisp and slightly darkened. Keep a close eye on it, as it can go from perfect to burnt quickly.
• Cool and Crumble: Remove from the oven and let it cool completely on the baking sheet. As it cools, it will become even crispier. Once cooled, gently crumble it into small, bite-sized pieces. Half will be mixed into the salad, and the other half reserved for garnishing.

5. Assembling and Dressing Your Spring Potato Salad

With all your components prepared and cooled, it’s time to bring everything together into a cohesive and delicious salad.

• Mellow the Onions: In a large mixing bowl, combine the thinly sliced red onions with about half of your prepared tarragon vinaigrette. This initial coating helps to mellow the raw bite of the onions, making them more enjoyable to eat.
• Add Peas and Season: Next, add the blanched and shocked peas (reserving a small handful of English peas for garnish) to the bowl. Toss gently to combine with the onions and dressing. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed; this step is crucial for balancing flavors.
• Combine Potatoes and Prosciutto: Finally, add the cooled fingerling potatoes to the bowl, along with half of the crumbled crispy prosciutto. Pour in the remaining vinaigrette. Toss everything gently but thoroughly to ensure all ingredients are evenly coated with the dressing.
• Serve and Garnish: Transfer the assembled Spring Potato Salad to a beautiful serving platter or bowl. Garnish generously with the remaining crispy prosciutto bits and the reserved English peas. Your vibrant and flavorful salad is now ready to be enjoyed!

Expert Notes & Tips for the Perfect Spring Potato Salad

Achieving a truly exceptional Spring Potato Salad is easier with a few key insights and techniques. These tips will help you maximize flavor, optimize texture, and streamline your cooking process.

Streamlining Your Cooking with a Single Pot

To keep things as simple and efficient as possible, utilize a single large pot of water on your stove, filled approximately halfway. This pot will be your workhorse, used sequentially for blanching and shocking the peas, and then for cooking the potatoes. This minimizes dishes and maximizes your time in the kitchen.

Mastering Potato Tenderness

The texture of your potatoes is paramount in a great potato salad. You want them tender enough to eat comfortably, but firm enough to hold their shape and not become a mushy mess. A good test is to pierce a potato with a fork or knife: it should glide in easily, but the potato shouldn’t fall apart or slide right off the utensil. Remember that potatoes continue to cook slightly as they cool, so slightly undercooking them can be better than overcooking.

Mellowing the Red Onion’s Bite

Raw red onions can sometimes have a harsh, pungent flavor. By coating the thinly sliced red onions in a portion of the tarragon vinaigrette before adding the other ingredients, you initiate a gentle pickling process. The acidity of the vinegar works to temper the onions’ sharp raw bite, making them more pleasantly palatable and allowing their sweetness to emerge. This small step significantly enhances the overall flavor profile of the salad.

Make-Ahead & Storage Tips

This potato salad can be partially prepared in advance, making it perfect for entertaining. The vinaigrette can be made and stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. The prosciutto can be crisped and crumbled a day ahead. The peas can be blanched, shocked, and dried, then stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. For best results, assemble the full salad no more than a few hours before serving, or add the crispy prosciutto just before serving to maintain its crunch. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Versatile Substitutions to Customize Your Salad

While this Spring Potato Salad recipe is crafted for optimal flavor, it’s also incredibly adaptable to your preferences or whatever ingredients you have on hand. Don’t hesitate to make simple swaps to suit your taste or dietary needs.

Vinegar Options for the Vinaigrette

The delicate, tart flavor of champagne vinegar is a personal favorite for its balanced acidity. However, if you don’t have it, several alternatives work beautifully:

• White Wine Vinegar: Offers a slightly sharper, fruity tang.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Provides a distinct, robust, and slightly sweet-tart flavor.
• Plain White Vinegar: A more economical option, offering a straightforward, clean acidity. Adjust quantities to taste, as it can be stronger.

Pea Varieties and Preparation

The combination of sugar snap and English peas offers a lovely textural and visual contrast. However, feel free to simplify:

• Single Pea Type: You can use all sugar snap peas for more crunch, or all English peas for a more tender texture.
• Frozen Peas: If fresh peas are out of season or unavailable, frozen peas (both sugar snap and English varieties) work well. Simply blanch them for a shorter time, just until tender-crisp, and then shock them in ice water as directed.

Herb Alternatives for Tarragon

Tarragon’s unique flavor truly makes this salad special, but if it’s not to your liking or you prefer another herb, consider:

• Fresh Basil Leaves: Basil offers a sweet, peppery, and slightly anise-like flavor that complements spring vegetables and potatoes beautifully. Chop it finely and add it to the vinaigrette and salad.
• Fresh Dill: For a more traditional, slightly tangy and refreshing flavor, dill is an excellent choice, especially with potatoes.

Creamy Base Swaps

Greek yogurt provides a creamy, tangy base for the vinaigrette while keeping it lighter. If you prefer a richer flavor or have different ingredients available:

• Sour Cream: Can be swapped for Greek yogurt cup-for-cup, offering a richer, slightly less tangy creaminess.
• Mayonnaise: For a more classic creamy potato salad, you can use mayonnaise, though it will change the overall lightness and tang of the dressing significantly. You might need to adjust the vinegar amount.

Neutral Oil Choices

Olive oil provides a wonderful flavor to the vinaigrette. For a more neutral base or if you have dietary preferences, consider:

• Avocado Oil: A healthy, neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point.
• Vegetable Oil or Sunflower Oil: Both are widely available and provide a very neutral base, allowing the other flavors to shine.

Great Pairings for this Salad

This versatile Spring Potato Salad is an excellent accompaniment to a variety of main dishes, especially those that come off the grill. Its fresh, tangy, and savory profile perfectly balances richer, heartier meats.

• Steak Butter: A perfectly cooked steak, enhanced with compound butter, finds a fresh counterpart in this potato salad.
• Carne Asada Steak Fajitas: The vibrant flavors of fajitas are wonderfully complemented by the freshness of the salad.
• Grilled Shrimp Skewers + Lemon Garlic Butter: The light, zesty flavors of grilled shrimp make an ideal match for this spring-inspired side.
• Grilled Chicken Wings with Alabama BBQ Sauce: The creamy, tangy sauce of the wings pairs beautifully with the refreshing potato salad.
• Instant Pot BBQ Ribs: Rich, tender ribs need a bright side, and this salad delivers perfectly.
• Grilled Vegetables: For a complete vegetarian meal, pair it with an assortment of beautifully charred grilled vegetables.

We hope you love this unique and flavorful Spring Potato Salad as much as we do! If you try this recipe, please let us know your thoughts by leaving a review or comment below. Your feedback helps us grow and inspires others! Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to get delicious recipes delivered straight to your inbox, and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for daily inspiration and behind-the-scenes fun!

📖 Recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Spring Potato Salad with Crispy Prosciutto and Fresh Tarragon Vinaigrette

Prep Time:
15 minutes

Cook Time:
20 minutes

Total Time:
35 minutes

This vibrant Spring Potato Salad, featuring tender fingerling potatoes, sweet peas, and savory crispy prosciutto, is elevated by a zesty tarragon vinaigrette. It’s a refreshingly unique side perfect for barbecues and spring entertaining.

Ingredients

for the tarragon vinaigrette:

• 3 tablespoons Champagne Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ¾ teaspoon Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
• ½ cup Olive Oil
• ½ cup Greek Yogurt
• 2 tablespoons fresh Tarragon, chopped

for the salad prep:

• 6 slices Prosciutto
• 1, 8oz bag Sugar Snap Peas
• 1, 8oz bag English Peas, fresh
• 1 ½ lb Fingerling Potatoes
• Kosher Salt (for blanching/cooking)
• 1 cup Red Onion, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon fresh Tarragon, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

for the tarragon vinaigrette:

1. Place champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, 1 tsp kosher salt, black pepper, olive oil, Greek yogurt, and 2 tbsp fresh chopped tarragon into a jar. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds until evenly combined and emulsified.
2. Store the vinaigrette in the fridge until ready to use.

for the salad:

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. When it boils, add 3 tablespoons of salt to the water.
3. Prepare a bowl of water full of ice and some cold water for the ice bath.
4. Place the slices of prosciutto on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until crispy. Let cool completely, then break the large pieces into small bits. Set aside.
5. When the salted water comes to a boil, gently add the sugar snap peas to the pot and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and place immediately into the ice water bath. Do the same with the English Peas, but only cook them for 1 ½ minutes. Once cooled, remove from ice water and pat very dry with a clean kitchen towel.
6. Add the fingerling potatoes to the same pot of boiling water. Cook for approximately 12 minutes after the water returns to a boil, or until they are just tender when pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes and let them cool completely to room temperature.
7. To assemble the salad, place the thinly sliced red onions in a large mixing bowl and toss with a little bit of the prepared tarragon vinaigrette to mellow their raw bite.
8. Add the blanched and shocked peas (reserving a small handful of English peas for garnishing) to the bowl. Toss gently to coat. Season with a sprinkle of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper; taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
9. Combine the cooled potatoes into the bowl with half of the crumbled crispy prosciutto bits and the remaining tarragon vinaigrette. Toss all ingredients gently but thoroughly until well combined and coated.
10. Place the finished Spring Potato Salad on a platter or in a serving bowl. Garnish with the reserved English peas and the remaining crispy prosciutto bits just before serving.

Notes

Notes & Tips

Simplify cooking by using one large pot of water for blanching peas and cooking potatoes. Cook potatoes until just tender—they should hold their shape, not be mushy. Coating red onions in vinaigrette first helps soften their sharp flavor. The salad is best served fresh but components can be prepped ahead.

Substitutions

Champagne vinegar can be swapped for white wine, apple cider, or plain white vinegar. You can use a single type of pea, or frozen peas. Fresh basil or dill can replace tarragon. Greek yogurt can be swapped for sour cream or mayonnaise for a richer dressing. For oil, avocado, vegetable, or sunflower oil are neutral alternatives to olive oil.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 294Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 798mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 12g

This is an estimated caloric value, actual numbers may differ based on the ingredients used.

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