Katie's Bacon Potato Salad

This potato salad recipe I have been making ever since I was old enough to come up with my own spin on the things that I was reading in cookbooks, probably about the age of 12. This recipe was inspired by an old German potato salad my mom had in a very old cookbook when I was younger. This salad made a tangy and sweet, herb vinaigrette that coated the potatoes and they sort of marinated in it. The potatoes were just beautiful coated in this herb ladened dressing. I use a similar method; I create a warm bacon vinaigrette, the bacon fat being the oil component and some killer pickle juice being the vinegar. I then pour that over the warm potatoes which just soak it all up to soon become, the most wonderful potatoes you have ever eaten!  I then mix all of this with mayonnaise to create a very creamy and flavorful dressing that goes so wonderfully over the red potatoes. My favorite salads always have mayonnaise...I know, I wish I hated the stuff! I do, however, always use an olive oil based mayo so its a lot lower in fat without sacrificing taste.

The warm bacon vinaigrette

This recipe serves 4 to 6 as a side dish.

Ingredients

6 Medium size organic, red new potatoes, washed and cut into large, even chunks.
4 Pieces of pasture raised smoked bacon, cut into chunks.
1/2 A large or a whole small onion, diced
2 Whole pickles or 4 halfs, I use Brooklyn Brine Company, whisky sour pickles, diced.
1/4 Cup pickle juice
1 Heaping Tbsp dijon mustard
Sea salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste.
1/2 tsp fair trade, organic, raw cane sugar
1/2 Cup olive oil mayonnaise, I use Hellman's (I am aware this is kinda naughty based on my food philosophy so feel free to substitute, I have yet to find a low fat mayo that tastes as good so I allow myself this one naughty splurge)

Directions

Place potatoes in a large stock pot filled with cold, salted water. Bring the potatoes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer till almost tender about 10 to 15 minutes, make sure not to let them get to complete fork tenderness while cooking. Drain them and cover them with a clean kitchen towel to steam for the remaining cooking time, this will ensure tender potatoes that will not fall apart when you are mixing the dressing in.

While the potatoes are cooking heat a large saute pan to medium high heat. Cook the bacon until crispy, remove from the pan, reserving the fat and lower the heat to medium. You only need about 2 Tbsp of bacon fat so if you have more drain some of it off. Cook the onions in the bacon fat till tender, about 4 minutes. Add in the pickles, pickle juice and mustard and cook till a sauce forms, about 2 minutes. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan when you add in the liquid so that you get up all the bacon bits. Add in salt, pepper and sugar and taste for seasoning. It will be very strong on its own, remember potatoes soak up a ton of flavor and even it out.

Put the potatoes in a large dish, while they are still warm, pour the bacon vinaigrette over the potatoes and stir to coat them all with the mixture. Mix in the mayonnaise carefully, trying not to break up the potatoes too much. Add the bacon back in and stir to combine one last time.

Refrigerate till cold, about 2 hours or leave overnight. If the mixture seems dry when left overnight mix in a bit more mayonnaise right before serving, again potatoes soak up everything!

Serve with your favorite grilled meats, this is my most favorite summertime dish!