In Season: Warm German-style potato salad

Warm salads are great, as they work so well as a refreshing side to any meal.

Photo by Linda Robertson.

Ingredients

1kg waxy potatoes (nadine, frisia, or draga work well)
1 small red onion, diced finely
250g bacon, sliced finely
1 Tbsp fresh or dried dill
¼ cup stock
large handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1 tsp grain mustard
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp sugar
¾ cup of red wine vinegar
1 cup good quality oil (not olive oil)

Method

Place the unpeeled potatoes into a suitably sized pot and cover with water, season with a little salt and bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle boil and cook until tender (20-30 minutes).

Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a frypan until crispy and set aside, reserving bacon fat in pan for later use.

Add the finely diced onion, dill and bacon into a large bowl.

When the potatoes are cooked, drain and cool slightly. I suggest when peeling the potatoes to hold a cloth around them as they get quite hot after a while. Carefully peel the skin off the potatoes with a sharp small knife and cut into 4mm-thick slices.

Add them to the bowl with the onions and bacon.

Warm the frypan containing the bacon fat, and add the red wine vinegar, grain mustard and half the oil, season lightly with a little salt and pepper, swirl around to emulsify and pour over the warm potatoes. Add the parsley and toss together gently.

Add a little more oil if the salad looks dry. Taste and adjust the seasoning and balance of the overall salad - it should taste piquant with an even flavour of bacon and onion and a hint of freshness from the herbs.

It is delicious served warm on its own or, as the Germans would favour, with pork!

• Alison Lambert, chef at the Otago Farmers Market, will demonstrate this recipe at the market on Saturday morning.