Do ahead dishes are a necessity to me these days. I no longer have the stamina to put in a four hour marathon pulling a company meal together. I am all about freezer casseroles, dishes that can be assembled ahead and then baked at a leisurely pace. These sweet and sour potatoes fit the bill. They can be put together, held and baked when you are ready.
I apologize for being absent for the last few weeks. No excuse other than we’ve been busy and cooking hasn’t been a priority. But we have started to get into the swing of approaching summer. The grill has been dusted off, the herb boxes are full and these potatoes would go well with anything you want to cook outside.
I have planted lots of basil, parsley, thyme and tarragon; some of my favorite herbs. I love tarragon chicken, basil panzanella, thyme on braised pork and parsley on everything. I found a fat sage plant with huge leaves and made a chicken saltimbocca which I hope to blog about soon.
You can see the lovely sage leaves near the middle of the above picture.
This recipe was slightly adapted from Pattie at the wonderful blog Ollie-Podridra. It’s a keeper.
BAKED GERMAN POTATO SALAD
1 1/2 Pounds yukon gold baby potatoes
4 strips of bacon
3 scallions, chopped (white and green parts)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water, divided
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. celery seed
2 1/2 tsp. flour
Fresh parsley for garnish
Cook scrubbed potatoes in saucepan covered with water until just tender. Drain. When easy to handle, slice into chunks and place into a baking dish just large enough to hold them.
Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp. Drain and reserve drippings. Crumble bacon and set aside. Sauté scallions in drippings for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup vinegar, salt and celery seed. Simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes.
Combine flour and remaining 1/4 cup water until smooth. Stir into onion mixture. Bring to a boil and cook and stir until thickened. Pour over potatoes. Add bacon. Gently stir to coat.
At this point you can set aside or refrigerate if not cooked on that day.
If refrigerated, bring to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with fresh parsley. Yield 4 servings.