labor day

potato salad is just about the best potato dish ever created. perhaps best dish ever created. i’m not sure. however, i am sure that i can make a mean version myself.

this is a “german” potato salad. basically it means mayo is switched out for vinegar and sugar. oh, and it’s fucking delicious.

bacon. that is all.

potato salad

yukon gold potatoes (reds would work too)

6 large shallots

extra virgin olive oil

~1/4c white vinegar

~1/4c water

~3 tbsp sugar

kosher salt

freshly cracked black pepper

~1/4c chopped parsley

~6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

heat oven to 350F

cut potatoes and shallots. toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. bake for about one hour or until potatoes are done (they can be easily pierced with a fork). be sure to turn the potatoes and shallots every 15 minutes during baking

while the potatoes are baking, bring vinegar, water, sugar, and pepper to a boil. remove form heat and cover.

when the potatoes are done, toss with vinegar mixture, bacon, and parsley.  serve warm.

simple salad

alright, here’s another non-recipe for you.

not bogged down by a heavy dressing

apple walnut salad.

one apple, sliced

walnuts

mixed baby greens

red wine vinaigrette

kiss the pre-made salad dressing goodbye

please stop buying that crap in the grocery store. this tastes infinitely better. infinitely! that’s like forever, which means a lot.

it's too bad you have to shake it before you use it...

this is easy, really easy. so easy i don’t even have a true recipe. but i’ll give you the ingredient list and leave the rest up to you.

red wine vinaigrette

mustard (i use whole grain)

1 garlic clove, minced

“italian seasoning”

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

honey

red wine vinegar

extra virgin olive oil

combine ingredients in a jar and shake. done.

it should last about a week in the fridge, unless you use it all on the first day.

see? at least it tastes great.

poor endive, it only sees the light of day right before it is eaten

but it’s so god damned tasty that i don’t care.

originally posted 4/12/2008

grilled endive with bacon vinaigrette

adapted from alton brown

what? a grilled salad? why yes, yes it is.

what’s that? you still have bacon grease? ok, let’s finish it off

1/4 c cider vinegar
1 tbsp bacon drippings
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper, freshly cracked
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

belgian endive

*this will make quite a bit of vinaigrette. so take that as you will. if you are just one sad, lonely person, you may want to cut down amounts. or, if you think one day you may actually have someone over for dinner this should last for about a week or so in the fridge.*

combine all ingredients (except olive oil) in a glass bowl. slowly add the olive oil while whisking until an emulsion is reached.

heat grill or grill pan to high heat.
cut a thin slice off the end of the endive. you only want to remove the old hard end. slice in half lengthwise. toss with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. place on grill and cook for about 2 minutes per side. when finished remove from grill and cover for 3 minutes. this will let any residual heat cook the center of the endive.

pour vinaigrette over endive and eat immediately.

and if you don't have a grill pan or grill, raw endive is tasty too.