Warm BLT Potato Salad

Do you recognize these babies? They’re potatoes. They haven’t been on the scene much lately, having taken a beating from the low-carb crowd, who sometimes put potatoes on par with poison. Indeed, they’ve acquired an unfortunate reputation, not helped by the fact that most potatoes get served straight from the deep fryer in the form of chips or fries. It doesn’t have to be this way, especially since

1. Potatoes are genuinely good for you (vitamin c, potassium, fiber for starters)

2. This Warm BLT Potato Salad is so darn delicious

Not-Your-Classic Potato Salad

The recipe came about when a pound of Yukon Golds showed up in my CSA box. I piled them straight away into a saucepan to cook. Once drained, I settled on making a potato salad, only instead of a chille, mayo-based number, I opted for a warm salad tossed with a tangy vinaigrette. It was perfection that I ate standing up — fork to pot to mouth, repeat — thinking all the while, “It’s been too long.”

A New Summer Favorite

Two weeks after the “potato salad in a pot” incident, another bag of spuds showed up in my CSA. This time I added ripe cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and crumbled bacon to my original mix, then piled it all onto crisp Romaine lettuce. Et voilá, Warm BLT Potato Salad. It’s got all the smoky appeal of the classic sandwich, only with the earthy warmth of tender potatoes. It’s plainly fabulous.

Serve as a Side or Make it a Main

This salad is a perfect side dish, but with a bit of tweaking could be considered a main dish, too. Here are a handful of serving ideas:

• Set it out on a summer buffet when you’re having a cookout.
• Pack it up for a picnic, since it’s tasty at room temp, too. Tip: keep it in a cooler if you’ll be out and about for more than two hours.
• Stir in a can of white beans, a couple of sliced hard cooked eggs, or drained, oil-packed tuna for a more protein-rich main dish.
• Serve it alongside grilled chicken, fish, or steak.

If you like BLT Potato Salad you might like:

Tomato, Peach and Corn Salad

Fattoush with Crispy Pita and Feta 

Corn and Avocado Salad with Quick Pickled Onions

Croutons on the Grill. 

5 from 3 votes

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Warm BLT Potato Salad

This BLT Potato Salad is excellent on its own for lunch or as a light supper along with hard boiled eggs, tuna, chicken, or some other boost of protein. It’s best warm, but makes for great picnic fare at room temperature as well.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 200 kcal

Author Katie Morford

Ingredients

• 1 pound small waxy potatoes such as red skinned, yellow finn, Yukon Golds, or fingerlings
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for salting the potato cooking water
• 3 slices bacon, turkey bacon, or tempeh bacon
• 2 tablespoons diced shallot
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons white wine or champagne vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 cup halved ripe cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
• Black pepper
• 10 crispy Romaine lettuce leaves

Instructions

1. Cut the potatoes as needed so they are in 1 1/2-inch pieces. The key is that the pieces are all uniform in size so they cook evenly.

2. Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover by 2 inches with water. Salt the water generously enough so that it tastes like the sea. Bring to a boil and cook until just tender, neither crunchy nor mushy. Don’t be shy about spearing one out of the cooking water to slice into it and taste for doneness. Drain immediately.

3. While the potatoes are boiling, cook the bacon using your favorite method until crispy.

4. In a small bowl make the dressing by whisking together the shallots, mustard, vinegar, oil, water, =1/4 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper.

5. Tear each lettuce leaf into 2 or 3 pieces. Pile into a medium bowl and lightly dress with some of the dressing. Transfer to 4 individual plates or one larger plate/platter.

6. Put the potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and basil into the same bowl you used to dress the lettuce. Crumble the bacon into the salad. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of dressing over the potatoes and toss to coat. Taste and add more dressing, salt, or pepper, if needed.

7. Spoon the potato salad on top of the lettuce. Serve immediately.

Photo Credit: Nutrition intern Rebecca Nassimi