Potato and Red Cabbage Salad

Name: Potato and Red Cabbage Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Yield: 6 as a side
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

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roubashahin.com.au

Salads

Straight from my notebook — tender potatoes, crunchy red cabbage, golden almonds and that garlicky lemon dressing. So good!

PREP TIME

15 minutes

COOK TIME

10 minutes

SERVES

6 as a side

About this recipe

This one has been sitting in my notebook for the longest time, and honestly, I don’t know why it took me this long to share it. A while back, a lovely reader asked me what she could use instead of radish in my Potato Salad with Sumac, and I told her finely shredded red cabbage. That answer stayed with me — because red cabbage and potatoes together are so much more than a substitute. The cabbage brings crunch and colour, the potatoes bring comfort, and a garlicky lemon dressing pulls it all together into a salad that works any time of the year.

What makes this salad for me is the toasted slivered almonds. Toasting them gently in olive oil until golden gives the whole salad a warm, nutty finish that plain raw almonds just can’t match. It’s simple food, done properly — no fancy ingredients, just good technique and fresh lemon juice. Everything comes together in the time it takes to boil the potatoes, which makes it perfect for barbecues, picnics, or a midweek dinner when you want something on the table without fuss. If you’re wondering what to serve it with, my Oven Roasted Chicken Chops are made for a salad like this — juicy bone-in chicken thighs in a garlic and chilli marinade that take five minutes to prepare, and both dishes share that same lemony, garlicky thread.

If potato salads are your thing, I have a few more you’ll love. My Potato Salad with Sumac is the one that started this recipe — boiled potatoes tossed with crisp radish, spring onion and parsley in a zesty lemon, garlic and sumac dressing. My Smashed Potato with Yoghurt is my twist on the viral smashed potato salad — crispy golden roasted baby potatoes folded through a creamy yoghurt tahini dressing with olives and gherkin, best eaten warm and straight away. And if you’re after a potato side rather than a salad, my Pan-Fried Potatoes With Sweet Onion is well worth having in your back pocket — golden potatoes and slow-cooked sweet onion, the kind of side that quietly steals the show.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

1 kg potatoes, cut into cubes
¼ small red cabbage, finely shredded (approximately 250 grams)
3 spring onions chopped
½ cup parsley finely chopped
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
1 tablespoons olive oil to fry the almonds

The Dressing

2 garlic cloves, crushed
⅓ cup olive oil
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt, to season
1-2 teaspoons sumac molasses (optional)

Notes from Rouba

Any potato works here — baby potatoes are lovely, but regular potatoes cut into even cubes are just as good.
Boil the potatoes until just tender. You want them to hold their shape, not fall apart in the salad.
Shred the cabbage as finely as you can — thin ribbons soften slightly in the dressing and are much nicer to eat.
Keep a close eye on the almonds while toasting. They go from golden to burnt very quickly.
Always use fresh lemon juice — it makes all the difference in a simple dressing like this.
Dress the salad while the potatoes are still slightly warm so they soak up all that garlicky lemon flavour.
This salad pairs beautifully with roast chicken — try it alongside my Oven Roasted Chicken Chops for an easy, fuss-free dinner.
When cutting your potatoes, go a little bigger than bite-size — potatoes shrink slightly as they cook, so larger cubes hold their shape and still end up the perfect size in the salad.

Method

Step 1. Cook the potatoes and toast the almonds

Place the cubed potatoes in a large pot of salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until just fork-tender, then drain well and set aside to steam dry for a few minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium-low heat, add the slivered almonds and toast gently, stirring often, until golden. Remove from the heat straight away and set aside.

Step 2. Make the dressing

In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, sumac molasses (if using) and salt until well combined. Taste and adjust.

Step 3. Assemble the salad

In a large bowl, combine the warm potatoes and shredded red cabbage. Pour over the dressing and toss gently to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and finish with the toasted almonds and an extra drizzle of sumac molasses.

A FEW THINGS YOU'LL WANT TO KNOW

What is sumac molasses, and why 1–2 teaspoons?
Sumac molasses is a thick, reddish, sweet, and intensely tart syrup made from sumac berries. It's optional here, but it adds a lovely touch of sweetness to the dressing. If you're not familiar with it, start with one teaspoon, give it a taste, and if you love it, add another. It's always better to start with less and build it up.

Do I have to use baby potatoes?
Not at all. Any potato works — just cut them into even cubes so they cook at the same rate. Waxy varieties hold their shape best in salads.

Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes. You can boil the potatoes and shred the cabbage earlier in the day, then dress and assemble just before serving. Add the toasted almonds at the very last minute so they stay crunchy.

Can I swap the almonds?
Absolutely. Toasted pine nuts or slivered pistachios work beautifully with the same method — toast them gently in the olive oil until golden.

Is this salad served warm or cold?
Either works, but I love it with the potatoes still slightly warm — they drink up the dressing. It's also lovely at room temperature for picnics and barbecues.

How long before the potatoes are just right?
Approximately ten minutes, but it really depends on the variety of potatoes — sometimes they can be done in as little as eight. Keep a close eye on them and test with a fork; you want them just tender so they hold their shape in the salad.

No sumac molasses? What do I do?
You actually don't need it. The original recipe didn't have it at all — it's just my addition, because I love what it brings to the dressing. The salad is delicious with or without it, so don't go hunting for a bottle just for this recipe.