Hot Potato Salad

Hot Potato Salad
From: taxi78cab

- Some new potatoes, peeled and cubed (maybe a lb... I just use whatever looks good to make ~3-4 servings)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 skinless, boneless chicken breast (leftovers are good for this or poach the chicken)
- 3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1/4 cup diced celery (optional... I didn't have any last night when I made this for the 2nd time, and it was fine without it)
- 1 diced onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced (or powdered garlic works fine)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (also known as "some"... I don't measure it or the vinegar or the mustard or the paprika)
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 fresh sage leaves, chopped (If you don't have fresh lurking in your garden, I'd leave this out. I don't think dried would be very good in this.)

Toss the potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven until they're soft and turning brown on the outside, maybe 20-30 min depending on size. (Remember that they're going into potato salad, so cut them up bite-sized first. Plus, this makes the cooking go a lot faster.)

Cook the bacon. Cook the onions in the bacon drippings. (This wasn't in the original recipe, but I don't like raw onions, and onions cooked in ~1 tbsp of the bacon fat are scrumptious.) Add the garlic for ~1 min if you're using raw garlic. Otherwise, just add the powdered stuff to the dressing below.

Cut up the cooked chicken. Combine all of the dressing ingredients and toss with the potatoes, chicken, celery, bacon and onions. Serve hot or cold, but I like it hot.

I don't know that the chicken is strictly necessary, but it makes a nice main dish if you add the chicken and works well with a cole slaw as the side dish to round out a good summery dinner.

The original recipe was from Sunny Anderson and can be found on the Food Network's website by searching for Picnic Potato and Chicken Salad Cups.