Yummy Potato Salad

I had a few requests online for my potato salad recipe. Potato salad is versatile with many possible variations. I prefer potato salad cold with a creamy dressing. It tastes best after chilled in the fridge overnight, so all the flavours develop.  Proportions are not exact, so adjust to suit your tastes. Can also be scaled up or down. Recipe below is for one medium to large serving bowl of potato salad, which can be served as a side dish with warm or cold sliced meat and salad, or eaten on its own.

It's something I make occasionally when I have the craving for it. It's quite relaxing chopping all the ingredients up, without a time pressure. Like a form of active meditation.

Potato salad - my version

INgredients

• 3-4 medium potatoes 
• 2-4 eggs
• 2-4 slices bacon (rindless eye bacon is ideal)
• 2 spring onions, rinsed, shake off excess water
• 1/2 red capsicum, rinsed, shake off excess water
• 4 medium pickled gherkins (I prefer sweet/sour), drained & patted dry with a paper towel
• 1/2 cup creamy potato salad dressing or creamy mayonnaise
• salt and pepper
• pinch paprika (optional)

Method:

• Peel and rinse the potatoes. Chop into approximately 1cm cubes and boil in already boiling salted water until tender when pricked with a fork (approx 15-20 minutes). I chop the potatoes, rinse with cold water and then add boiling water from a jug to the pot with a little salt. When done, drain off water and spread the potatoes onto a plate to cool. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, hardboil the eggs by gently lowering fresh room-temperature eggs with a spoon into gently simmering water in saucepan. Medium-sized eggs take around 10 minutes. Pour off boiling water and replace with cold until cool.
• Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a frypan both sides. Keep any drippings for extra flavour.
• Using a clean chopping board, slice the spring onions finely - add to the serving bowl
• On the same board, slice the capsicum into very fine cubes, the width of a prong on a fork. Saute the capsicum briefly in the bacon drippings in the saucepan. Alternatively they can be left uncooked.
• Cut up the gherkins into fine cubes. 
• Cut the fat edge off the bacon and cut up the bacon into small pieces.
• Add the veges and bacon to the serving dish.
• By now, the cooked potato should be cooling on a large plate. Wait until cold or only slightly warm before folding into the mayonnaise and other ingredients. (Tip: A fan can help cool the potatoes.) 
• Peel the eggs (easier if crack and then peel under cold water). Slice the eggs (egg slicer makes this easier). Season with a little salt and pepper.
• Fold all ingredients except the eggs together with creamy potato salad dressing or mayonnaise. Fold through the eggs last, so they are not broken up too much.
• Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least a few hours, preferably overnight before eating.
• ENJOY!

Variations

Some variations you might want to try:

• use new baby potatoes (skin on if you prefer)
• substitute the bacon for slices of pan-fried chorizo
• add some extra flavours to the dressing, such as mustard 
• try different herbs such as parsley or dill
• avoid anything watery (like fresh tomatoes)