MUSTARDY POTATO SALAD WITH BACON

Now we spice up the perfect side dish for your next backyard barbecue with that grainy mustard.

3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt

8 ounces bacon, diced

1⁄3 cup mustard

1 cup mayonnaise

1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar Freshly ground black pepper 3 stalks celery, finely chopped

1⁄4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1⁄4 cup finely chopped fresh chives

3 large eggs, hard-boiled and roughly chopped Instructions: Put the potatoes in a large pot, salt generously, and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil until cooked through but not mushy, about 6 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.

While the potatoes are cooling, sauté the bacon in a pan over medium heat and cook until just crisped, about 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel—lined plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat.

Whisk together the reserved bacon fat, the mustard, mayonnaise and red wine vinegar in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Use a potato masher to halfway mash the potatoes in a large mixing bowl while they’re still slightly warm. Make sure you leave plenty of good-size chunks. The goal is to have a potato salad that is half-mashed and half-chunky — this is not a time to use your potato ricer or food mill. Add half the dressing, the bacon and celery, and stir until combined. Refrigerate the salad for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight; refrigerate the remaining dressing as well.

Just before serving, fold in the remaining dressing, the chopped herbs and eggs. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed and serve.

Makes 6-8 servings

All recipes reprinted with permission from “Cured” by Steve McHugh & Paula Forbes, copyright 2024, published by Ten Speed Press, a division of

Penguin Random House LLC.

Mustard made from scratch becomes a key ingredient in Mustardy Potato Salad with Bacon.