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French Potato SaladFrench Potato Salad & Braised Turnips
July 25, 2019 | Updated April 3, 2023 | Laura
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✽ Recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I | Julia Child ✽
Julia Child Recipes 38-39 | 489 recipes to go!
✽ French Potato Salad- Sliced Potatoes in Oil and Vinegar Dressing [Pommes de Terre à l’Huile], p. 541
✽ Turnips Braised in Butter [Navets à L’étuvée] served as Parslied Turnips [Navets Persillés], p. 486
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✽ Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I was written by Julia Child who co-authored with Simone Beck & Louisette Bertholle and was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1961.
✽ You can buy Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I which contains these recipes here. (affiliate link)
The purpose of this Julia Child section of my blog is to document my journey of learning how to cook. To show my successes, my failures, and what I learned along the way.
Since I didn't create these recipes (if only!), I do not post exact amounts of ingredients or word-for-word instructions. If any of these recipes spark your interest, I highly recommend you buy Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking (affiliate link). It's a great investment and learning tool and contains hundreds of classic recipes.
What you will find on my blog is:
✽ Butter Count & Cost Total
✽ How the Recipe Tasted
✽ Answers to Questions about Recipe
✽ Fun Facts about Recipe or an Ingredient Used
✽ The Recipe Process
✽ Step-by-Step and Final Photos of Recipe
I hope that you enjoy reading my thoughts, learn something new, and leave inspired to try a new recipe. Bon appétit!
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Butter Count & Cost: Braised Turnips & Potato Salad
✽ Butter Count: +4 TB
✽ Cost: $10.97 [~$1.83 per serving]
- French Potato Salad= $4.33 [6 servings]
- Turnips Braised in Butter= $6.64 [6 servings]
Check out the total Julia Child butter count & cost here!
→ Looking for a different Julia Child recipe? Here's a list of all of the completed and pending Mastering the Art of French Cooking recipes!
Potato salad is happiness.
This was the most perfect Sunday lunch if you ask me. I was looking for something quick and easy to whip up before Brian headed back to Dallas so I skipped cooking a Julia meat dish and opted for some sausage links we picked up at the store earlier with two Julia sides.
I was very excited to cook the French potato salad as I looovvvee American potato salad. This recipe is similar to a mustard-based American salad you’d find in the grocery store but definitely fresher tasting and lighter.
The recipe mentions that mayonnaise may be folded into the potatoes at the end if desired, but since mayo wasn’t listed as an actual ingredient in the list, I left it out. I do think that mayo would bring this salad together very nicely and hope try it prepared that way some day.
I think the most important note to make about this recipe is to use “boiling” potatoes. The type of potato matters because you don’t want your potatoes to crumble. I bought the small white potatoes that I forget the name of now. They look exactly like the red new potatoes but white.
As for the turnips- I’ll let you know what Brian said while we sat down together to eat cooked turnips for the first time. It might be the craziest thing I’ve ever heard, but I don’t necessarily disagree with it.. He said, “I like the turnips more than the potatoes.”
Absolutely ridiculous, I know. But really, these turnips were delicious and so so simple! The French really do know how to do root vegetables.
French Potato Salad & Turnips: Questions
✽ What's the difference between American and French potato salad?
American potato salad is mayonnaise-based and is usually served cold. This French potato salad is prepared with a vinaigrette-type dressing consisting of white wine, vinegar, mustard, and oil.
French potato salad can be served cold or warm.
✽ What type of potato should I use for French potato salad?
You want to use "boiling" potatoes in this recipe so that your potatoes can be boiled and sliced without crumbling.
✽ What are boiling potatoes?
Boiling potatoes are the medium-sized potatoes that are either white or red. I like to use red potatoes or Yukon Gold.
These potatoes have less starch and have a firm texture which allows them to keep their shape during the boiling process. On the other hand, Russet potatoes have more starch and are more likely to fall apart when boiled making them difficult to slice after boiling.
✽ What is a turnip and what do they taste like?
A turnip is a root vegetable. If you want to get fancy, you can call it by its scientific name, Brassica rapa. Radishes are a close relative of turnips, and they both belong to the mustard (Brassicaceae) family.
Turnips are pretty mild in flavor. You may taste a slight spicy flavor when trying them raw. When cooked, you will probably just taste a sweet and simple flavor.
To me, braised turnips had a very similar texture as a cooked potato and tasted quite similar as well- just a little bit sweeter!
Looking for more Julia Child potato recipes to read about?
→ Check out all of the vegetable recipes that I've completed so far!
Fun Facts about Potato Salad
*Find these facts plus lots more on Wikipedia.*
✽ Where did potato salad originate?
Potato salad probably originated in Germany. It would eventually spread throughout all of Europe then to the United States and Asia.
✽ What's the difference between South German-style potato salad and North German potato salad?
Southern German potato salad is usually served warm and made with a vinaigrette. North German potato salad is usually served cold and made with mayonnaise and hard-boiled eggs.
✽ What is potesara?
Potesara is Japanese potato salad! This version of potato consists of many ingredients including mashed boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, ham, Kewpie mayonnaise, rice vinegar, and karashi mustard.
How to Make French Potato Salad
✽ Step 1: Boil & Peel Potatoes
The potato slices are boiled in salted water until tender.
✽ Step 2: Add Liquids
As soon as they were cool, I poured white wine and stock over them. As the minutes go by, the potatoes will soak up the liquid.
✽ Step 3: Make Dressing
In a separate small bowl, wine vinegar, mustard, and seasoning are beaten together until salt dissolves. Then olive oil is whisked in by droplets.
This mustard dressing is poured over potatoes, an optional shallot is added, and topped with parsley before serving.
You can serve this either warm or cold according to Julia. We ate it warm just because we didn’t have enough time to let it cool. Brian and I both agreed we think we would have enjoyed it more cooled down and after the flavors really married together in the fridge for a while.
How to Make Turnips Braised in Butter
✽ Step 1: Blanch Turnips
Next up, turnips! For those of you wondering what a turnip looks like in real life (which was me in the grocery store), here you go:
It’s pretty cute actually. Anyways, to cook this turnip, all I did was blanch the quartered turnip in boiling salted water for a few minutes.
✽ Step 2: Boil Turnips
They then go into the saucepan with butter and beef stock. Cover and boil for several minutes or until tender but they are still able to hold their shape. Then season according to your taste.
✽ Step 3: Toss with Parsley
I served them as parslied turnips which means a tad bit more butter, a little bit of lemon juice, and minced parsley were added. Overall, this was a wonderful meal that I wouldn't mind having over and over again.
*This blog, Laura The Gastronaut, and this post were/are not endorsed or supported by Julia Child or The Julia Child Foundation.
Category: Julia Child, Vegetables, Cold Buffet Cuisine: French
Keywords: julia child french potato salad, julia child potato salad, julia child's potato salad, julia child braised turnips, turnips recipe julia child
✽ Did you make this recipe too?
→ Let me know by leaving a comment below and sharing on Instagram. Tag @laurathegastronaut and hashtag it #laurathegastronaut.
More Potato Recipes:
✽ Gratin Jurassien (amazing scalloped potatoes made with heavy cream and cheese)
✽ Grated Potato Pancakes (one of my favorite potato recipes)
✽ Garlic Mashed Potatoes (very few things better than homemade garlicky and buttery mashed potatoes)
→ Check out all of the completed Julia Child vegetable recipes!
✽ You can find this recipe and all the other Julia Child recipes I make in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I (affiliate link).
→ Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I was written by Julia Child who co-authored with Simone Beck & Louisette Bertholle and was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1961.
✽ Check out my Julia Child Recipe Checklist to see a list of all my completed and pending recipes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking!
Bon appétit!
July 25, 2019 by Laura Ehlers
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