3poundsred potatoes, about 8-9 regular-sized potatoes
4-6slicesbacon, see note for a slight adaptation
¾cupchopped white or yellow onion
2tablespoonsflour
2tablespoonssugar
2teaspoonssalt
½teaspooncelery seed
⅛teaspoonblack pepper
¾cupwater
⅓cupwhite or apple cider vinegar
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
In a large pot, add 2-3 inches of water and a teaspoon of salt. Wash the potatoes and add them to the pot (the water doesn't need to cover the potatoes). Bring to a boil over medium high heat, cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and cook for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
While the potatoes are cooling, in a large nonstick skillet, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and drain a bit of the grease from the skillet, leaving just a tablespoon or two.
Heat the skillet over medium heat and add the onion to the reserved bacon grease, cooking until translucent and slightly golden. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt, celery seed and black pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes.
Combine the vinegar and water in a liquid measuring cup and slowly add it to the skillet (still set over medium heat), whisking constantly so the mixture doesn't get lumpy. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking or stirring constantly, and cook for 4-5 minutes. It should be thick and creamy.
Slice or cube the potatoes and add them to a large bowl. Pour the hot dressing over the top and gently stir to combine. Crumble the bacon over the top and give it another light stir. Top with fresh, chopped parsley, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Bacon: so a time or two when I've made this I haven't had real, live bacon on hand (and another time I was just too lazy) so instead of frying bacon at the beginning, I used a tablespoon or two of butter to cook the onion in and proceeded with the recipe that way - using the precooked crumbled bacon (from Costco in my case) to add to the potato salad at the end (I used about 1/2 cup and gave the bacon crumbles a quick 20-second round in the microwave to crisp up a bit). You may not get as much bacon flavor but the salad is still very delicious varied this way.