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Blogs / yum! / Spring 2009 / Tasty Tubers

Tasty Tubers

As the Fourth of July creeps up on us, and we all start filling our calendar with plans for rodeos and street parades, parties and getaways. I fondly remember celebrating America’s Birthday as a child. Those lazy days were always spent trying to beat the heat at a local swimming hole (either in the river or down by a lake) surrounded by family, friends, music and cold sweet tea with pimento and cheese sandos.

This year, I am spending my Fourth at home and am looking forward to all the festivities in the Wood River Valley, especially the outdoor parties, barbecues, and pot-luck dinners. I often look at the get-togethers as the ‘ultimate cooking challenge’ and will spend way too much time deciding on something to bring. I want it to be yummy. New. Different. And I often use my unsuspecting guests as culinary guinea pigs, or if I’m being nice, supreme judges to sample my creations. Sometimes this approach has negative outcomes (I would never advise hot grapes in a noodle salad) but generally I am pleasantly surprised by the things I can cook.

On the flip side, I also enjoy the classics: cold noodle salad, coleslaw, vegetable skewers. This year I’m using potato salad to put my southern roots on the table, literally (a potato is a root, isn’t it?). And this twist on potato salad melds the sweet potato (a staple in Louisiana) and my limitless love of bacon with local Idaho spuds.

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Bacon and Sweet Potato Salad

This salad meshes SO many great flavors and is perfect hot or cold for any 4th of July barbecue. It was originally created by chef and southerner, Stephen Barber of BarberSq Restaurant in Napa, CA. but I have added and altered some of the ingredients.

3 large eggs, boiled and peeled
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and chunked
2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 ½ pound red potatoes, quartered
½ pound mini gold potatoes, quartered
8 slices bacon, diced
1 large red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¾ cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
¼ cup canola oil
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons sugar
1 bunch green onions, chopped (about 1 cup)
¼ chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Bring Sweet potatoes, ½ teaspoon salt and water to cover to a boil in a Dutch oven (or a big pot). Cook 10 minutes; add all remaining potatoes and cook fifteen minutes or until tender. Drain. While the potatoes are cooking, fry bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat for eight to ten minutes or until crisp; remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Reserve one tablespoon of the drippings in skillet and sauté red onion and garlic until tender. Reduce heat to low and whisk in vinegar, mustard seeds, and red pepper; cooking 3 minutes. Add canola oil, pepper, remaining salt, and sugar and mix well. Pour hot vinegar mixture over potatoes. Add eggs, bacon, green onions, and parsley, stirring gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.