There are certain food combinations that never occur to you until you begin cooking with the male of the species. Pasta with a side of potato salad is one of them. However, after a day of biking and a serious potato surplus, and a killer potato salad recipe, it seemed acceptable.

I have never been a big potato salad person. Potatoes, unless they’re really nice fresh potatoes, have always tasted dull and starchy to me, and the idea of dousing them in mayo and topping them with bacon to make them more interesting seemed to just make the whole dish even heavier, hardly the desired effect of a summer salad meant to go with things like burgers and grilled sausages. At any rate, up until recently I was pretty strongly anti-potato salad. Then Jamie showed me the secret, or rather, he showed Dan the secret, and Dan converted me. A word of warning: this recipe, from Jamie Oliver’s new Jamie’s Food Revolution (aka Ministry of Food),

The Secret of Good Potato Salad

Ingredients:
1¾ Pounds Baby Potatoes (or any good quality potato: we used 3 red and 3 white from the produce bin)
6 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Fresh Chives (I throw in dill or fennel tops too)
1 Lemon, zest
¼ Cup Natural Yogurt
Smoked Bacon (I like to use pancetta)

Cook Potatoes: Bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Peel the potatoes, chopping large ones in half (or chop into 1″ cubes if using larger potatoes). Leave the small potatoes whole. When the water is boiling, add the potatoes to the pan and bring back to a boil for about 10 to 15 minutes. While they’re cooking, in a small pan, over medium heat, cook slices of smoked bacon (or pancetta bits) in a splash of extra virgin olive oil, set aside on a paper towel to drain excess oil when done. Test potatoes with a knife to make sure they are cooked through. Drain the potatoes and place them in a medium bowl.

Dress Potatoes: Mix the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, and fresh black pepper. Stir well. Toss the hot potatoes in the dressing (Jamie says it’s important to do this while the potatoes are still hot, to get the texture of the sauce right). Finely chop fresh chives (and any other herbs you’re using) and sprinkle them over the potatoes. Toss the potato salad with the zest of 1 lemon and ¼ cup natural yogurt. Next, crumble cooked bacon or pancetta on top and serve.