Best Ever Potato Salad

Best ever? Those two words always make me give a little (feminine) snort. And to be honest, I didn't believe that title either and hesitated to use it too, until I made it and took it to my Garden Club's end-of-year luncheon. That's a discerning group, all ages, all probably having their own mother's or grandmother's "Best Ever" potato salad recipes. And it's mayonnaise-based, which, while delicious, is, let's face it, fattening and a tad dated to boot.

Need I say they loved it? I thought I made too much (we do a pot luck), but there was only a spoonful or so left. So, I'm passing on Brown Eyed Baker's "best ever" recipe. You can't go wrong with bacon and that's the secret ingredient here, not only in the salad, but in the dressing too. Naughty, naughty.

And all right, so I cheated and took  some of my favorite and completely awesome store-bought mini pastries from the Ft. Lauderdale French Bakery for dessert. Hah! Might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb.

Best Ever Potato Salad
From Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:
 4 cups cubed red potatoes
 10 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
 ¾ cup mayonnaise
 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
 1 teaspoon salt
 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
 1 stalk celery, diced
 1 small onion, chopped
½ medium green pepper, chopped

Method:
Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender. (If you're not sure how to boil the potatoes perfectly, HERE is a good source.) Drain the potatoes and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-low heat until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings in the skillet.

Add the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar and salt to the reserved bacon drippings in the skillet and whisk to combine.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, celery, onion and green pepper. Pour the dressing over the ingredients and gently stir to evenly coat. Stir in the bacon. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.