Potato Salad with Fennel and Shallot Relish and Bacon

Directions

1. The Potato Salad
2. Scrub and put the potatoes, unpeeled, into a pot that's large enough to cover them with 4 inches of cold water. Cook until just tender.
3. When the potatoes are cooked, turn off the heat but leave them in the pan with the hot water. Take them out, one at a time, to do the following: Cut each potato into slices that are about 1/2 inch thick. They should be hot while you are cutting them. (Using a small spoon in my left hand to hold each potato steady, I cut them on a large dinner plate and leave them on the plate while slicing the others.) Sprinkle a teaspoon or so of vinegar on the slices after each potato has been cut. This allows the potatoes to absorb the vinegar while still hot. I use a tiny pitcher or my OXO 1/4 cup measure for this. Some of the peel may come loose, but don't worry about it.
4. While the potatoes are cooking, sauté the bacon in a skillet large enough to hold the potatoes and the fennel. While the bacon is cooking, chop the herbs.
5. When the bacon is done, remove it from the pan and drain all but two or three tablespoons of the bacon fat. (You can remove it all and use olive oil, if you prefer.) Coarsely chop the bacon into 1-4 to 1/2 inch pieces.
6. If you are using celery, add it to the skillet and heat very briefly. Deglaze the pan over low heat very briefly, using 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar from the fennel relish. If you don't have that much left after sprinkling it on the potatoes, add some fresh vinegar. Turn off the heat.
7. Add mustard, to taste, and stir. If the mustard or the vinegar from the fennel is too sharp for your taste, add a teaspoon or two of maple syrup. Be careful not to cook this mixture too much, as it will be the dressing for the potatoes, so you don't want much to evaporate.
8. Add the fennel relish and stir well over a low heat. Add the bacon and parsley (plus the chopped celery leaves and fennel leaves, if you are using them). Toss to combine. Turn off the heat.
9. Test for salt and add some, if necessary. Add freshly ground pepper, if you like.
10. Finally, add the potato slices and very gently toss. They'll be rather fragile, so be careful.
11. Serve warm or at room temperature. You can make this ahead, but just make sure that it's at room temperature when you serve it.
12. Enjoy!!! ;o)

1. Fennel and Shallot Relish
2. Peel, remove the tops and hard bottom from, and finely chop the fennel bulb. You should have about one cup, chopped.
3. Chop the bright green leaves of the fennel, if there are any, to add with the fresh herbs in the potato salad, and set aside.
4. Put the chopped fennel in a small heavy saucepan with the remaining ingredients.
5. Simmer for about four minutes, then turn the heat off and let sit for another ten minutes or so.
6. Drain and reserve the vinegar, to use in the potato salad.
7. Enjoy!! ;o)