110. POTATO, GREEN BEAN, and BACON SALAD

Serves six to eight


2 pounds small white or red potatoes
1 pound green beans
1/2 pound bacon, or 8 slices
1/3 cup salad oil
1 shallot, diced fine
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced
4 to 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Garnishes (optional): garden lettuces, 3 or 4 hard-cooked eggs

Boil or steam the potatoes in their jackets just until done. Steam or blanch the green beans until crisp-tender. Cook the bacon crisp and save the rendered fat. Drain the bacon on paper towels.

Mix the rendered fat with enough salad oil to make 1/2 cup. Add the shallot, garlic, and vinegar and mix well. Season well with salt and pepper.

Line a serving platter with lettuce, if you wish. Slice the potatoes (peeled, if you prefer) according to their shape: rounds, wedges, or lengthwise slices. Arrange the potatoes, bacon slices, and beans on the lettuce or only on the platter. Arrange the quartered or sliced eggs on the salad, if desired. To serve, drizzle the dressing over the salad.


courtesy of: The Chesapeake Cookbook: The Best Home Cooking of Maryland, Delaware & Tidewater Virginia by Susan Belsinger and Carolyn Dille. New York: Clarkson N. Potter (201 E.50th St, NYC 10022), 1990, p. 156.