Two Dads Cook

We're just two dads with a son and a love for food.

Bacon Potato Salad

We’re now in the midst of an absolutely suffocating heat wave and the last thing we want to do at the end of a long work day is stand in front of a hot oven or stovetop. This chilled potato salad is the perfect solution: ice cold, vinegary, and studded with crunchy bacon bits. We whipped it all up on a slightly cooler weekend morning and have been enjoying it bit by bit throughout the week. Tonight all three of us stood in front of the opened refrigerator door, chomping down on this irresistible potato salad and praying for the heat wave to break.

Dressed while still hot, these lovely new potatoes drink up the drizzled vinegar and bacon fat.  And paired with the salty crunch of bacon, the two lovely onion-y notes (both soft-cooked shallots and crunchy red onion) really round it all out.

Now if only Mother Nature would cooperate … .

Method:

2.5 lbs. tiny new potatoes, scrubbed

extra virgin olive oil

1/4 lb. bacon, diced

2 shallots, peeled and diced (about 1/4 cup)

something less than 1/4 c. red wine vinegar

red onion, peeled and diced (about 1/4 cup)

a good handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Cut about two thirds of the larger potatoes in halves or quarters and leave whole the remainder. In a heavy pot, cover the potatoes with cold water and a good palmful of coarse salt. Bring to a nicely rolling boil and cook until just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain the potatoes and drop them into a serving bowl to cool.

Heat a bit of oil in a saute pan and cook the bacon until crispy.  Drop the bacon onto a plate covered with paper towels to drain. Pour off all but a tablespoon or two of the bacon fat (reserving the rest in a mug) and saute the shallots in the remaining fat until just soft, about 4 minutes or so.

Add the vinegar, shallots, red onion, parsley and a tablespoon or so of the reserved bacon fat to the potatoes.  Season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Gently toss. Allow to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate.

Just before serving, hit the potatoes with the crisped bacon and a turn or two of olive oil.

  1. giarose reblogged this from twodadscook
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    Alex’s Office Summer BBQ. Do you think people will be satisfied...vinegarette recipe? Or...
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