German Potato Salad

Ingredients

3 lbs. potatoes

4 strips bacon

one large yellow onion

Handful of parsley

(for the dressing)

1/4 cup champagne vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

2 tbsp water

Directions:

Peel potatoes and dice into one-inch pieces. Put in large pot and cover with water. (can sit until you are ready to cook). Check frequently to make sure it does not overcook.

Dice onion finely.  

Chop parsley.

Combine dressing ingredients and whisk. Taste, adjust for sweetness/vinegar balance

Airfry bacon. In my Breville, this means 450 degrees. Put the bacon on the tray and let it microwave while the oven preheats for three minutes, then cook for ten more. Turn it at 5, check it periodically.

Remove bacon, dry on paper towel. Transfer bacon grease to a cast iron skillet and heat skillet. Add onions and SOFTEN, don't let them brown too much. 

Chop bacon. Split into two portions.

Once onions are soft and starting to brown, add DRESSING. Let it come to a boil. Once boiling, add potatoes and one portion of bacon. Using a wooden spoon, carefully turn to coat. Let some liquid burn off as it coats, add salt periodically, correcting as you taste.

Once ready, add one-half (a little more) parsley and mix. Transfer to serving bowl, garnish with parsley and remaining bacon. 

Then fucking enjoy.

Salad Dressing Perfection: Shallots in Champagne Vinegar

 For the past year or so we have subscribed to a kind of farmer's market box--the kind of thing where you get a bag of vegetables once a week. You never know what you are going to get. We used to do this in Georgia, but the result was always disappointing. Not so in California, where every week we get a huge bounty of fresh produce for $20. 

One of the bounties is fresh red onion, which lately has been coming every couple of weeks. It inspired me to pick up an old salad dressing recipe and adapt it, and the results have been lovely.

• finely chopped shallot
• honey
• salt and pepper
  

Finely chop a shallot, or, in my case, a red onion.

Drop it into a small tupperware and cover with champagne vinegar. Add salt and pepper and squeeze in honey to taste. The rule of thumb here is about a tablespoon of honey for about 12 oz. of vinegar, I think. Err on the low side because you can always add more. Then shake, taste, and correct the seasonings.