Fingerling Potato Salad

Number of Servings: 4

Salad ingredients:

4 slices of bacon, cooked, and chopped (reserve 1 tablespoon dripping for dressing)

1 pound fresh fingerling potatoes, cut into halves, or thirds
1 sprig of fresh rosemary or thyme
Kosher or sea salt

2-3 cups of mixed greens (spinach, arugula, leaf lettuce)
½ cup chopped chives or green onions

Creamy Dressing:

1 head of garlic, roasted
1 teaspoon coarse-grained mustard
1 ½ tablespoon (25 mL) horseradish
1 tablespoon (15 mL) white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon (15 mL) bacon drippings
2-3 tablespoons (30-45 mL) sour cream
Kosher or sea salt; freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Prepare bacon by sautéing slices in a hot pan until brown and crisp. Remove from pan and cut into small pieces (1/2 inch). Reserve 1 tablespoon of the drippings.
2. Prepare roasted garlic for the dressing: Preheat oven to 375 ⁰ F (190 ⁰ C). Cut a little off the top of a head of garlic – just enough to expose all of the cloves. Place it on a piece of foil; drizzle olive oil over all; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Enclose the entire head of garlic with the foil; place on a baking sheet and roast for 35-40 minutes, or until very soft and fragrant. Let it cool a little in the foil. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted garlic into a small bowl.
3. Prepare potatoes: Cut fingerlings in half, or in thirds (lengthwise) unless they are quite small. Over simmering water, steam the potatoes with an herb sprig, and a sprinkle of salt, until the potatoes are very tender 15-20 minutes.
4. Prepare dressing by mixing together the roasted garlic, mustard, horseradish, vinegar and bacon drippings. Stir in sour cream. Season to taste.
5. As soon as the potatoes are tender, remove the herb sprig and place potatoes in a large bowl. Add some of the bacon pieces. Gently stir in 2-3 tablespoons of the dressing and some of the chopped chives/onions; allow salad to cool in the fridge. Just before serving, stir in the remaining dressing and the remaining chopped chives.
6. Serve, at room temperature, on a bed of mixed greens; garnish with the remaining bacon pieces and a sprinkle of chives/green onions.

Questions and comments are always welcome      alex@chilipeppersandpears.com ^[1]