The combination of crumbly eggs, pickled peppers, crispy bacon, and golden roasted potatoes has a wonderful variety textures. Each element of this potato salad can be prepared ahead of time; you could roast the potatoes, fry up the bacon, whisk together the vinaigrette, and hardboil the eggs at home, only to assemble the salad at your potluck or picnic! Make sure to check out my tips for perfect hardboiled eggs at the bottom of the post.
Ingredients
serves 8; active cooking time 20 minutes, total cooking time 1 hour
For the vinaigrette:
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1/4 cup tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the rest of the salad:
- 10 slices of bacon
- 2 pounds fingerling potatoes
- 4 large eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and chopped
- Pickled banana peppers or pepperoncini, chives, arugula as desired
Procedures
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Halve each potato length-wise and toss with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Spread around in one layer on a roasting pan and place in the oven for 35 minutes. Halfway through the total cooking time, rotate the potatoes so they become crisp and golden on both sides. Let cool before assembling the salad.
- Meanwhile, place the bacon on a baking sheet covered in tin foil. Place in oven and cook for ten minutes, then flip the strips with tongs and cook for another 8-10 minutes until it’s as crisp as desired. Once cooled, chop the bacon roughly.
- Next, make the dressing by whisking the oil, mustard, vinegar, and shallot together and seasoning to taste.
- Finally, assemble the salad on a bed of arugula lettuce. Top with potatoes, then the chopped hardboiled eggs, bacon, pepperoncini, and chives. Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve warm or at room temperature.
You, like so many others, may be scarred by attempts hardboil eggs which yield a rubbery lump with a solid gray-ish mass in the middle. Never again! Here is a time-tested method that will get you perfect hardboiled eggs:
- Set a large pot of water with a dash of salt to boil over high heat.
- Once the boil has just started (it doesn’t have to be a rolling boil yet!), add the eggs. Make sure each egg is submerged in the water.
- Boil the eggs for exactly 12 minutes. While the eggs are boiling, prepare a bowl of ice water that will fit in your freezer.
- When the eggs are done, immediately place them in the ice bath and set in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, until cool.
- Peel and enjoy a perfectly cooked egg with a barely-set golden yolk!
Enjoy this tangy and hearty potato salad alongside a burger or hot dog, and I’d say you’re doing Memorial Day right.
