The Best Potato Salad

This is the best potato salad I’ve ever tried; it’s the perfect balance of flavors. I normally serve it with steak or hamburgers, but every time I wonder why I even bothered with the meat. All I want is a big bowl of this salad!

This recipe is part of our Memorial Day Menu.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds (6 medium) potatoes, scrubbed (red potatoes work the best for potato salad, they hold together better instead of turning to mush)
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• 6 slices of bacon (or more depending on how bacony you want it)
• 3 or 4 hard boiled eggs
• 1 stick of celery
• Half a small red onion
• 3 small pickles (dill or sweet, your choice – I used dill since they’re my favorite)
• ½ a handful of fresh parsley (preferably flat leaf Italian parsley)
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons mustard (preferably use Dijon or a strong mustard)

Step 1: The Potatoes

– Keep the potatoes whole, but cut out any bad spots. Put them in a pot and cover them with water. Simmer until a sharp knife or a skewer can poke through them easily. This should take around 25-30 minutes, but will depend on how large your potatoes are.

– Drain and let the potatoes cool slightly before cutting into ¾ inch cubes. (Make sure to use a very sharp knife, or even better, use a serrated one. This will help give clean cuts through the skin.)

– Put the potato cubes in a bowl and toss with the vinegar, salt and pepper (about ½ teaspoon of each). Put the bowl in the fridge until the potatoes are cool before adding the dressing.

Step 2: Preparing the Dressing Ingredients

– Cook the bacon in a little oil in a frying pan until crispy, remove and chop up into small pieces.

– Peel the hard boiled eggs and dice them.

– Finely chop the celery stick; you want about ½ cup in total.

– Finely chop the red onion and the pickles

– Mince the parsley

Step 3: Mixing it All Up

– Take the potatoes out of the fridge and add all the prepared ingredients to the bowl, including the mayonnaise and mustard.

– Toss together gently (try not to mash the potatoes up) and season to taste. You will probably have to add quite a bit more salt and pepper, so be sure to taste it and adjust accordingly!

David B. May 29th, 2010

Posted In: Recipes, Salads