Potato salad with mustard vinaigrette

This is a recipe I came up with as part of a nine course meal we cooked for our friends. I thought it might be fun and entertaining to take something as basic and bland as potato salad, give it a makeover, dress it up, and introduce it to my classy friends (ha!) at a cocktail party. Then everyone would realize that the bland, homely potato salad was really a beauty who just needed a new look...er, I mean, new ingredients. It works in Hollywood, right?

To accomplish this transformation from barbecue favourite to cocktail party fare, I first added a pop of colour with purple potatoes (that old version was just so washed out!). Then I opted for a tangy mustard vinaigrette instead of the traditional mayo-based dressing. I removed the hard boiled eggs (the equivalent of dork glasses) but kept the fresh dill and enhanced it with some bacon. I also served the salad in a Belgian endive spear and paired it with a vodka martini.  Just like Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality, everyone was amazed and delighted by the classy new salad. Of course I knew it was there all along, hidden beneath a thick layer of mayonnaise and hard boiled egg, waiting to be unleashed.

Makes 15-20 hors d'oeuvres

2 pounds of new and purple potatoes, diced into ½” pieces
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 package of dill, finely chopped
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
15-20 endive spears

Place the purple and new potatoes in separate pots (otherwise the purple potatoes will dye the white ones an unattractive grey) and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer without the lid until tender, about 10-12 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  While potatoes are cooking, fry the bacon until crisp (best done over low heat). Whisk together mustard, olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper. In a salad bowl, toss together the potatoes, dill, onions, bacon, and salad dressing.

Line the endive spears up on a serving platter. Place 3 or 4 pieces of potato in each spear, or as many as it can hold without making an awkward mess, and serve.