Warm Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

When I started this blog, I knew I would have fun trying the recipes and writing about them.

But I couldn't help but wonder- would anyone bother to read it?

Or, perhaps more importantly- would anyone like it?

And after writing for over 2 months now, I can proudly say 'yes' to both of those questions.

So thank YOU for reading my blog.

And if you are one of the ones that also likes it, thank you for that too :)  I could not be more flattered than when people tell me they are enjoying the blog.

But one pleasant surprise to me was that friends and family members started requesting that I post their favorite recipes I've made for them in the past.

Or, equally as exciting & fun, people have started offering their own favorite recipes for me to make and write about (such as the rice recipe from Aunt Michelle Vittles).

This is also one of those recipes :)

A friend of mine, Kristen Vittles, was reading V&B and noticed that (much like her own husband) Mr. V loves anything with bacon.  So she passed on this recipe, originally from Food Network.

Which was actually even more appropriate for Mr. V than she probably intended, because for as much as he loves bacon he HATES mayonnaise - typically a main ingredient in potato salad.

So I was excited to try this recipe out as an alternative to mayonnaise-based potato salad - and we both enjoyed it!

Well, perhaps me more so than Mr. Vittles, though.  While he conceded that this was better than ones with mayo, he was a bit of a pain in the patootie about the vinegar.

He hates that, too.

Ugh. I guess I can't win with the potato salads.

Although I found one from America's Test Kitchen recently that has a ranch dressing-type coating, which is another favorite of his ... so maybe I won't give up on them just yet?

I mean, we're going in the right direction.  He liked this one more than ones I've made in the past. 

Baby steps, people.

Warm Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

• 2 1/2 pounds red new potatoes
• 1/2 pound slab bacon, cut into lardons and cooked until golden brown and crisp, 2 tablespoons drippings reserved
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and season with 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender when pierced with a knife. Drain, let cool for a few minutes and quarter.

While the potatoes are cooking, whisk together the drippings, vinegar, mustard, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, and then stir in the chopped basil and parsley.

Add the warm potatoes and the bacon to the vinaigrette and gently fold to combine.


Recipe from Food Network, by Bobby Flay