Step by Step Potato
May 22, 2003

It’s Memorial Day Weekend and time for some easy entertaining. We’ve got margaritas, lamb kabobs, and this knock ‘em dead potato salad all set for our potluck BBQ. The beauty of this salad is the ease of putting it together, prepping in small stages to create something extra-special. For example, cook the bacon ahead of time. Arrange one pound of thick cut bacon on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in a hot 400-degree oven for 25 minutes. The bacon browns evenly, never burning, and the clean up is a snap. (Added bonus: your kitchen doesn’t smell like a hung-over diner.) Store bacon in plastic wrap. Next step: dice 3 ribs of celery, chop 2 fistfuls fresh parsley, and thinly slice half of a red onion. Wrap and refrigerate veggies. These first two steps can be completed 2 days ahead of your meal. Step 3: up to 8 hours beforehand cut a 5-pound bag of red new potatoes into bite-sized chunks, leave the red skin on. Cook the potatoes right away as they turn an ugly brown if exposed to air too long. Steam until tender (12-15 minutes) and place in a large bowl. Pour 2/3 cup of red wine vinegar over the hot potatoes and toss in two good pinches of kosher salt. Gently fold the batch a few times with a wide spatula. (It’s OK to let the potatoes sit at room temperature.) Final step: I like to complete the salad just before guests arrive because a potato salad is creamier, fresher looking, and more delicious if it hasn’t seen the inside of the refrigerator. Fold in 8 ounces of sour cream or, if you can find it, crème fraiche (it’s like a double cream). Add the vegetables. “Chop” up half of the bacon using kitchen scissors (save the remainder for breakfast.) Re-heat the bacon in a microwave for 30 seconds. Add warmed bacon, and salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold ingredients together until just combined, turn salad into a serving bowl. For blue cheese lovers, now is the time to gild the lily and add small chunks of Maytag blue cheese.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, Jeff, and three college–aged daughters who come and go. ©2008