Punchy Warm Potato Salad

Who needs mayo anyway?

Thanks to everyone who commented on Wednesday’s thread — I love hearing from this community. The summer-cooking trend I loved hearing about most were big salads based on rice, grains, and beans. These are perfect for summer as they are great receptacles for whatever veg you have on hand, and can be lunched up by adding some diced protein or work as a dinner side. I particularly like these kinds of salads for the beach, as they get better as they sit and don't spoil easily. If you didn’t participate in the thread, I encourage you to go back and read the comments from your fellow Susanality readers and to participate in the next one!

On to today’s recipe, which happens to be a salad. ‘Tis the season!

“Potato Salad” can mean different things to different people. Personally, I was never a big fan of overly creamy textbook versions, which seem a bit bland and boring, not to mention rich and, shall we say, gloppy? I prefer to keep things on the fresher side, as you probably already know!

Despite the name of this salad, it’s not strictly necessary to serve it warm. What you should do is dress the potatoes while they're warm. This is absolutely essential. The warm potatoes practically drink up the dressing. In fact, when you first combine everything you might be thinking, “But Susan, this is entirely too much dressing.” But just be patient and stir it a few times. In a couple of minutes, everything will be lusciously coated and deeply flavored. 

I added a few ingredients to punch up the flavors like grainy mustard, chopped kosher dill pickles, jalapeños, and lots of fresh herbs. If you want to make this vegetarian, just skip the bacon and start cooking the shallots in a little olive oil instead, and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend full of cookouts and gatherings and good weather!