German potato salad

The presence of the red potatoes in the CSA share this week was just asking for me to make a German potato salad. I first fell upon the recipe in high school, I believe, excited that it didn't include mayonnaise - at the time, I didn't like it. (Honestly, I've only recently come to appreciate its charms.) And a potato salad recipe with bacon? How can that be wrong?

Now, I'm not even going to pretend that this recipe is better for you because it doesn't have mayo. However, as you may have noticed across the stories on this blog, I don't much care if something is "better" for you. Just delicious.

We had our friend Craig (whose very good blog is here) over for dinner on Thursday night. Slow-cooked barbecue ribs; potato salad, and corn bread. No green salad; sorry, folks, but some meals just don't demand them. For dessert? Blueberry slump - I had to at least show someone in person how delicious this odd-looking (and sounding) dessert really is.

I had also made Mark Bittman's pea dip the night before, thinking it would be a nice starter while I finished making dinner. Dinner was ready just as Craig arrived, though, but it was no big loss...the pea dip was just okay. Imagine mushed up peas with a hint of cheese, some chunks of pine nuts, and not much other flavor. If you're a pea-lover, go for it, but for now it's sitting in a bowl in our fridge, waiting to go bad enough for me to throw out.

In any case, the rest of the meal was delicious, and I converted Craig to the religion of blueberry slump. Here's the recipe for the potato salad:

German potato salad
adapted from New Best Recipe

2 pounds small to medium red potatoes (1 to 2 inches in diameter), scrubbed and halved if small, or quartered if medium)
Salt
6 ounces (about 6 slices) bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup of onion)
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tbsp whole grain mustard (German-style is good, but Dijon mustard is fine)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

Place potatoes, 1 tbsp salt, and water to cover in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of potato cooking water, then drain the potatoes. But the potatoes back in the pot to keep warm.

As the potatoes are cooking, fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1/4 cup of the bacon grease in the pan. Add the onion to the skillet; cook until softened and beginning to brown. Stir in sugar until dissolved; add vinegar and potato cooking water; bring to simmer and cook until the mixture is reduced to a cup.

Remove the skillet from the heat; whisk in the mustard and pepper. Add the potatoes, parsley, and bacon to skillet, and toss to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve while still warm.