French Potato Salad With Bacon

I love to make this easy French potato salad with bacon and red onion. This feeds about 4 and is easily doubled or tripled if you’re feeding a crowd. Added bonus? Great to take on a picnic, no mayo or eggs to worry about.

French Potato Salad With Bacon

• 1 pound small potatoes
• 3 strips bacon, cut into 1/2″ strips (lardons)
• 1 small red onion, minced
• ½ cup olive oil (depending on how fatty your bacon is, you may not need much)
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 shallot, minced
• Salt & pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan, cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes. I like a lot of surface area for the potatoes, so I usually cut them in halves or quarters. Drain and put in bowl.  Add the onion to the bowl.

While the potatoes are cooking, in a small frying pan cook the bacon over medium heat, until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels. Pour the bacon fat into a small bowl. Add the shallot, thyme, vinegar, salt, pepper and mustard and mix until well blended. Taste and add the olive oil as needed, blending to emulsify the dressing. Pour the dressing over the warm potatoes and the onions. Toss to mix. Refrigerate until cool, serve and enjoy!

My Verdict:

This is my favorite potato salad. It’s easy and has bacon and bacon fat, so what’s not to like? And it can go to a picnic or potluck without worrying about mayo or eggs going bad.