OK, fine. I know I jumped the gun a few columns back by unilaterally declaring it BBQ season in March. I accept the blame for the garbage weather that followed. But is it really too early at this point, with the long weekend coming up and the fact that everyone and their dog is having a potluck BBQ, to safely say it? What about the fact that our regular Sunday “Caesar Co-op” jaunts to the park to sit on blankets and sip on…uh, non-alcoholic Caesars got launched this past weekend? How about the preponderance of short skirts and flip-flops up in here? It’s not me anymore. It’s all of you.
Rather than yammer on to you about the beauty of yet another piece of grilled meat, I’m going to give props to the glue that holds the potluck together: side dishes. At this past weekend’s potluck, I had a near-religious experience mixing a friend’s salmon cake appetizer with another friend’s to-die-for potato salad. The salmon cake, don’t get me wrong, was fabulous, but the salad somehow brought it to new heights of deliciousness — a bright, lemony, capery mix, popping with fresh green parsley and tiny cubed potatoes, that served as a perfect complement to the salmon. So it’s official: I’m back on potato salad.
Potato salad is another dish that can get a bad rap. Mayonnaise-based versions in particular can go horribly wrong (and often do) — too much mayo, not enough seasoning and overcooked potatoes can create a starch-goop nightmare in your mouth. But vinaigrette-based potato salads, especially warm ones, with a savoury bacon-anchovy dressing and crunchy corn and kohlrabi, can really dress up a dinner for two (serve with some grilled fish!) or make you a hit at your next potluck BBQ or picnic. So actually, in the spirit of retracting bold and sweeping statements made in earlier columns, you do win friends with salad — it’s just that you have to add some bacon.
The dressing for this salad is the key: it’s an adaptation of a Caesar salad dressing, but includes some bacon fat for added flavour along with the anchovies. If you’re not an anchovy fan, you can omit them, but I recommend trying them — they aren’t at all fishy and add depth of flavour to the dressing. Make sure you toss the salad when the potatoes are still warm to ensure they absorb all the flavours. This one can be served warm, or room temperature.
You can use larger potatoes and cut them into smaller pieces, but watch the cooking time; you don’t want them falling apart. Kohlrabi is a vegetable that has a texture similar to broccoli stems — it adds some nice texture and crunch to this salad (fennel would also be a nice substitute). Using red potatoes would also be a nice touch for added colour. Another tip: pour about a tablespoon or so of vinegar into the cooking water for the potatoes. It helps keep the skins intact.
Warm potato salad with bacon vinaigrette
Serves 4 as a side — double recipe for large parties
8-10 small baby potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
2 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1-1.5 cups kohlrabi or fennel, trimmed and julienned (optional)
4 cups baby spinach
¾ cup fresh corn kernels (cut from 1 cob of corn)
1 clove garlic
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
5 anchovy fillets, chopped roughly
1 tsp Dijon mustard
5 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1. Boil potatoes until just tender, about 6-7 minutes.
2. While potatoes are cooking, cook bacon until just crispy, then remove to a small bowl, reserving about 1 tsp of the fat for the dressing.
3. In a food processor, mince garlic, then add cider vinegar, lemon juice and anchovies, then process until smooth. Pulse in olive oil until emulsified. Remove to small bowl and mix in bacon and bacon fat. (If you don’t have a food processor, just chop the garlic fine or mash it in a mortar and pestle with the anchovies, then whisk with the remaining ingredients)
4. Toss the warm potatoes with dressing, green onions, kohlrabi, spinach and corn. Season with salt/pepper to taste. Serve warm or room temperature.
Sara Chan is an articling student at a Toronto law firm. Her favourite food group is pork. Sara’s column appears every other Tuesday here on lawandstyle.ca.