I confess I’d never heard of Belgian potato salade liegoise until recently. It may make you think at first of French salade niçoise, but there’s no tuna or olives. And definitely no anchovies! Instead, this is a traditional Belgian warm potato salad made with green beans, and bacon! It’s all topped with a quick vinaigrette that takes only seconds to make.
Well, you’re supposed to use bacon, but I had none so I substituted kielbasa instead (which June, who wrote the original recipe said was just fine).
It’s an easy lunch or light dinner without a lot of fussing. Just the thing for this time of year when you need a bit of a break in between stuffing yourself for all the holidays. The salad comes together in about twenty five minutes, which makes it perfect for a relatively quick meal. Serve it warm and eat it right away, or save it for another time and eat it cold. It’s good either way.
Plus, it only requires one pot! Yes!
I used frozen green beans, since that’s what I had, but you can use fresh as well. Just cook them a bit longer, just enough so they’re tender/crisp. You want them to retain a bit of crunch.
I confess I did think about getting fresher beans and the bacon, but I’d already been up and down twice that day and that was enough! Living in a walkup does make you think about how often you climb all those steps.
Belgian Potato Salad Liegoise
This warm salad is a meal all by itself. Flavored with salty, savory bacon or sausage, green beans, and potatoes.
Notes
Note: you can make the potatoes, eggs, and string beans all at once, or make extra for some other meal and save some for this. That makes it even easier and faster, because then it’s just the bacon (or sausage) and the vinaigrette. Which means lunch in five minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 egg
- 1/4 C frozen green beans
- 2 inches of kielbasa, cut up into coins (or use 1-2 strips of bacon)
- 1 T plus 1 t olive oil
- 1 T white wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 T onion, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes (you don’t have to bother to peel them), and then cut them up into chunks.
- Add to a pan of water large enough to hold the potatoes (2 quart or small Dutch oven should do it) and add a pinch of salt. Then add the egg.
- Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil.
- Cook for 10 minutes and remove the egg with a slotted spoon. Set it aside in a bowl to cool slightly so you can cut it up later.
- Check the potatoes. If they are tender, remove them with the slotted spoon and add to the bowl with the egg. They may need an additional five minutes to cook.
- Add the green beans to the hot water (same pot) and cook 2-3 minutes for frozen, 5 minutes for fresh.
- Once done, put them in the bowl with the potatoes and the egg.
- Now, drain the pan and add the bacon or kielbasa. Cook on medium heat until crisp or cooked through. Add the meat to the bowl.
- Slice the egg.
- In a small dish, mix the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and onion together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix everything well to coat.
Belgian Potato Salade Liegoise Substitutions and Variations
- saute the onions first and then add them to the salad
- top with chopped walnuts
- try different kinds of vinegar (such as sherry or raspberry)
- swap the standard potatoes for red ones
More Potato Salad Recipes
Sour/sweet capers with lemony dill and a light hand on the dressing combine for an easy summer potato salad.
French Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette Potato Salad
Love starch, but not mayo in the usual potato salad? This version has no mayo at all. It does have olive oil, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. Lots of flavor, no heavy eggy mayonnaise.
Mixed Greens Egg Potato and Chicken Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
A hearty lunch (or light dinner) without a lot of fussing. Boil a potato and an egg, throw in some leftover chicken, and chop some veggies. Done!