Last week, theAccidental Locavore was using up the last of the latest farmbasket and anticipating company so I whipped up a batch of potato salad and coleslaw. I’m not a big fan of mayo and egg based potato salad so my fat delivery system comes via bacon. Here’s my version of a French potato salad:
- Wash and cut into small chunks about a dozen small potatoes. I used small corollas, but new potatoes work fine too.
- Cook in salted water to cover, until fork tender.
- While the potatoes are cooking, slowly cook about 4-5 slices of thick bacon, sliced into 1/2″ matchsticks until browned and the fat is rendered.
- Drain the potatoes and put in a large bowl.
- Add 1 red onion chopped and about a tablespoon of fresh thyme (leaves stripped from the stems). You can also use fresh tarragon.
- Remove the bacon from the pan and add to the potatoes.
- Pour the bacon fat into a small heatproof bowl. Add red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and about 1-2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard. Mix well and pour over the potatoes. Toss until the dressing is absorbed.
- You may need to add a little olive oildepending on how much fat the bacon has rendered. I like my salad dressing to be a little more acid than oily so I usually do about a 50-50 oil to acid ratio, but it’s up to you to adjust to taste.
For the party colored coleslaw, shred in a food processor with the shredding disk:
- 1 small head purple cabbage
- 1 each red,orange, and yellow peppers
- 1-2 carrots (peeled)
Put in a mixing bowl. Add 1 onion finely chopped (I used a red one, keeping with the party colors)
Mix in:
- About a cup of mayonnaise (I used my own)
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup juice from a container of dill pickles (if you have it)
- Salt and pepper
Adjust to taste, serve and enjoy.
