Pennsylvania Dutch Potato Salad

I've been told by a couple people that this is the most unique potato salad they've had. Once by my brother, and another time by one of the hubby's friends. I'm all about traditional potato salad (a nice, big tub of Reser's maybe?), but for some reason the hubby greatly dislikes it. I'm not sure why, since it's basically potatoes, eggs, mayo, and mustard. He loves all these things, but put them together and it's a no-go. He does, however, enjoy this salad.

This salad is all about contrast. It's salty, yet sweet. Creamy, yet crunchy. I sneak tons of veggies into it, along with the "bad" stuff. Last night's dinner was defrosted hot dogs from the freezer, so I needed a side dish to fancy-up the hot dogs. It was a classic American meal, with a twist.

You'll need potatoes, lots of potatoes. I like to dice mine up before I boil them. It cuts the cooking time down to about 8 minutes. Once they're cooked, I drain them and set them aside to cool for a bit while I prepare the rest of the salad.

Shredded carrot and diced celery. I love the crunch of celery.

Place the carrot and celery in a large mixing bowl. Or salad bowl. Your choice. Add 2 roughly chopped hard boiled eggs to the bowl.

Add a couple tablespoons of chopped parsley to the bowl.

Time to shift in a new direction. The dressing! The dressing has got a lot of "tang" from the 2 different vinegars, but's also a bit sweet from the sugar. Genius, I tell you, just genius.

Mix together all the dressing ingredients, and set aside. And no, it's not done yet, so you won't be eating raw eggs :)

Time to fry up a couple of strips of chopped bacon. Cook them until they are crisp, and then remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon. I like to place mine on a couple of paper towels to absorb the grease before I add to the salad.

After the bacon has been removed, reserve 2 tbsp of bacon grease in the pan. Discard the rest. Add the dressing mixture to the pan. I like to remove the pan from the heat, and slowly whisk the dressing into the pan. You know, so you don't end up with scrambled eggs. Gotta temper those eggs. Put the pan back on over medium heat, and constantly whisk the mixture until it begins to thicken. This takes about 8 minutes.

Once the dressing is thickened, add the potatoes and bacon to the mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over the top of the salad, and mix gently. This is soooo good when it's warm, and I'm not ashamed to admit I stole more than 1 tasting spoonful's at this point. It might have been more than 2. It might have been more than 3...

Well there you go, peeps. A wonderfully unique take on potato salad. Perfect for dressing up drab meals, such as hot dogs :)

Ingredients:
4-5 Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, shredded
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
3-4 tbsp parsley, chopped
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dry mustard
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3-4 strips of bacon, diced

Directions:
1. Place diced potatoes in a large saucepan. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer potatoes for about 8 minutes. Remove potatoes from heat, drain, and set aside.
2. Combine celery, carrot, chopped eggs, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine water through lightly beaten eggs. Stir vigorously with a whisk to combine well. Set aside.
4. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set on a couple of paper towels to drain. Set aside. Reserve 2 tbsp bacon grease in skillet. Slowly whisk in the sugar/vinegar mixture. Whisk continuously until sugar mixture begins to thicken, about 8 minutes.
5. Add potatoes and bacon to the celery mixture. Pour the hot dressing over the salad. Mix gently. Serve immediately, warm, or at room temperature.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light