Monday, June 30, 2014

Hot French Potato Salad

Roasted potatoes and haricots verts with bacon in a Dijon vinaigrette

Hot French Potato Salad | Farm Fresh Feasts

There are many languages bouncing off the walls of my house these days.  When we play Uno during Family Game Nights we're calling out the color and number of each card in a language other than English. My daughter takes French, and to keep her skills up this summer she's taken to replying to my questions/requests en français. Or at least I assume that she's speaking French--honestly I haven't a clue. I topped out my knowledge when she called a potato masher a "pommes de terre frappe".

Hot French Potato Salad | Farm Fresh Feasts

My son is learning German online, which takes me back to when I first arrived in Germany and took an intro course on the base. Unfortunately we lived in a region of Germany known for hick accents, so while my son is speaking proper German, my spouse and I speak with a hillbilly accent.
Add to this the fact that my brain seems to have an English/Other Language switch, and when searching for an Other word it could just as easily come out Spanish, Finnish, or Japanese.  Languages that make sense to me.

Hot French Potato Salad | Farm Fresh Feasts

I mean, this potato salad uses haricots verts. I'd pronounce that haricots verts, but no . . . hairy co-vaire my daughter tells me. If it's hairy co-vaire, why is there an -erts on the end of the word? Makes no sense. However you choose to say it, this recipe is yummy. It's a bold side dish on a plate, assertive with notes of . . . ok, so not my style.  This is worthy of a country who lost 4% of their population during WW1--I can't even imagine that--not to mention a tasty way to eat beans and potatoes.  And bacon, always with the bacon.

Hot French Potato Salad

8 large baking potatoes, cubed into bite-sized pieces
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
½ teaspoon salt (I use kosher)
½ teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons bacon fat
⅓ cup sherry vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Dijon style mustard
1-2 cups haricots verts or green beans, cooked crisp-tender
⅓ cup minced sweet onion
¼ cup chopped cooked bacon

Preheat oven to 425.  In a large bowl, toss potatoes with 2 Tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
While potatoes are baking, mix up vinaigrette in a screw top jar. Combine the remaining Tablespoon olive oil with the bacon fat, vinegar, sugar, spices and mustard. If the bacon fat is solid, setting the jar near the hot oven helps to melt it.
In a large bowl, combine hot potatoes, beans, and onion.  Pour vinaigrette over top, and stir gently to coat.  Top with bacon. Serve warm or room temperature.

Hot French Potato Salad | Farm Fresh Feasts

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6 comments:

  1. This makes me think green beans are NOT the enemy and I really need to dabble in bacon again. I took French all through school so I pronounce it much like you daughter says: hairy co-vaire. It might be (alright it is) nonsensical, but there's a musicality to it; it rolls off the tongue.

    I want to hear your hillbilly German too. :)

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    1. Meghan,
      Bacos or other brands of bacon bits are NOT made of bacon--you could easily get meat-less bacon (and use another fat in the vinaigrette) to make a vegetarian version!
      Thanks!

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  2. I want to come to your house and speak all the different languages! And eat your potato salad of course. :) I took French in high school and a little of it comes back when I've traveled in France, which was exciting. And I'm not sure if I should feel proud or ashamed of this, but in grad school I spent six weeks in Austria and left speaking not one more word of German than when I went! And this wasn't one of the big cities where lots of people are bi-lingual; it was a small town of mostly German speakers. Looking back I'm not sure how I got around so well, but it was a blast. :)

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    Replies
    1. Julie,
      You've reminded me of sitting in a cab in Mexico City, waiting for my brother to come back from an errand. The driver asked me a question, in Spanish, that was straight out of a dialog I'd had to memorize. All of a sudden everything unlocked, and I could carry on a conversation (though I stopped short of continuing the dialog and telling the driver that Aunt Louise was in the kitchen).
      I'd bet the folks in Austria enjoyed practicing their English?
      Thanks!

      Delete
  3. Oooh, Kirsten, this looks SO delicious! I love that your house is filled with so many languages. I have never been great at learning new languages, but it was fun to practice my Spanish when we were visiting Peru :)

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    Replies
    1. Amy,
      I'd love to visit Peru. My friend Patty fed me yummy Peruvian treats, but I've never been there.
      Thanks!

      Delete