Red Potato Salad with Bacon and Corn (No mayonnaise!)
Recipe video above. Here's a terrific potato salad peppered with tasty bacon bits and charred golden pops of sweet corn. Forget mayonnaise! We're using a cider vinegar dressing that doubles as a marinade for the hot potatoes so they absorb flavour as they cool. Make the most of every opportunity to pump up the flavour!Serve at room temperature or just slightly warm. Not hot and definitely not fridge cold (criminal!)
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Western
Keyword: potato salad no mayonnaise, potato salad with bacon, red potato salad
Cook potato: Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add salt. Add potato. Bring it back up to the boil, then cook for 5 minutes or until just soft. Keep an eye on them – sliced potatoes cook quickly, and if they overcook they will break when tossing.
Drain and marinate: Drain potatoes, then transfer them to a bowl. Handle gently – the shape of these potatoes make them prone to breaking while hot (they're firmer when cool). Pour over 3/4 of the dressing, add eschalots and toss very gently. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
Cook bacon: Place bacon in a cold non-stick pan then turn the stove to medium high. As the pan heats, the bacon fat will melt so there's no need for oil! Cook bacon, stirring constantly (to avoid spitting!), until golden or to your taste. Drain on paper towels.
Cook corn: Meanwhile, cook corn cob using one of these methods. Either grill on the BBQ (10 min on high) or directly over the gas flame on your stove (6 min, direct contact with flame), until nicely charred and corn is cooked. Otherwise, cut the corn off the kernels then pan fry on high heat in residual bacon fat or 1 tbsp olive oil until charred.
Cut off kernels: Cut kernels off cob, trying to keep of the kernels in clumps (looks nice!). (Note 4 for my method)
Make salad: To the same bowl, add all the corn, half the bacon and most of the green onion. Toss gently, then transfer to serving bowl. Scatter with reserved bacon and green onion, drizzle over remaining Dressing. Serve!
Notes
1. Potatoes – Try to get potatoes that are of even size so they cook through at the same time (sliced potatoes cook quickly, and it's annoying when some are overcooked so they break!). If you can't get red potatoes, then any potatoes will do (it doesn't even matter if they're waxy or starchy, just get small ones so you can slice them).2. Eschalot – Also known as French onions, and are called "shallots" in the US. They look like baby onions, but have purple-skinned flesh. Not to be confused with what some people in Australia call "shallots" ie the long green onions which we also use in this recipe!3. Corn – If you cannot get fresh corn, pan-fry about 1 1/4 cups frozen or canned (drained) kernels in 1 tbsp oil until charred. If you have an electric or induction stove, you can cut the kernels off the fresh corn cob and also use this method.4. How to cut kernels off the cob without making a mess: Place ramekin or upside down mug inside a large bowl. Stand corn on ramekin then use small knife to cut kernels off. They will be captured inside the bowl. Otherwise, lie corn on side on cutting board. Use large knife to cut kernels off, but handle gently so you don't make the kernels in contact with the board burst open.5. Nutrition per serving – There's a generous amount of dressing in this recipe so you can effectively marinate. You won't consume it all, it ends up pooled in the base of the serving dish. So the actual calories will be lower. Estimate at least 50 cal lower per serve (based on about 2 1/2 tbsp Dressing not consumed).