Dress up your Easter table with this colorful “Easter Basket Salad”. The flavors in this warm potato salad with crunchy bits of bacon + Honey Mustard Vinaigrette are a great accompaniment to your Easter brunch or dinner.
Easter Basket Salad? Say what? I know! I can honestly say I didn’t intend to make an “Easter Basket Salad” when I set out to make this warm potato salad. I was thinking about how fantastic the combo of baby potatoes (warm) with pieces of crunchy bacon and a honey mustard vinaigrette over a bed of fresh arugula would taste. I got it in my head that I wanted baby purple potatoes (my favs…) but the only baby purple potatoes at the store happened to come in a bag with baby Yukon gold potatoes and red potatoes . O.K…even better!
I cooked up the bacon… boiled the potatoes , cut the bigger ones in half (so they would be bite size). Made a batch of honey mustard vinaigrette and piled everything on top of a bed of fresh arugula. YUM! Warm potato salad!
I had to crack a smile…my salad looks just like an Easter Basket! Green “grass” , colorful “eggs” …and then I got to thinking… HEY! the flavor combo of this salad would be a perfect accompaniment to the Easter ham! ( honey mustard and potatoes! Oh ya!) Or a perfect side dish for an Easter Brunch! (like this easy Breakfast Casserole with Ham, Spinach & Cheese) So Easter Basket Salad it is! A fun way to add a festive touch to your Easter table!
Oh course this Warm Potato Salad can be made any time of the year, not just Easter. It would be a great side dish for your favorite chicken dish (like this Panko -Crusted Chicken) , or take it to the pot-luck/BBQ (no mayo, so no worries about not being refrigerated at the party). Serve it along side hamburgers/veggie burgers, or kabobs. So many options!
- 1 lb. unpeeled baby potatoes (yukon gold, red, purple, or combo) cleaned
- 2 strips bacon, cut into pieces
- ½ red onion, diced
- 4 cups fresh Arugula
- 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- Place potatoes in a medium pot, add cold water to cover potatoes by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to gently simmer until potatoes are tender (about 15-20 min.). Drain, cut potatoes in half (optional).
- While potatoes are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat, add bacon and onions and cook until bacon is crispy. Using a slotted spoon remove bacon and onions to a paper towel lined plate (reserving a small amount of bacon drippings in skillet). Add cooked potatoes to skillet, add back in the bacon and onions and stir to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic and salt/pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil until thoroughly combined.
- Divide arugula between bowls/plates, top with warm potato/bacon/onion mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle dressing over salad and serve while potatoes are still warm.
Thann Dauterive
March 14, 2016 at 11:34 amOnce again Susan, you have presented an outstanding dish. How do you do it? Your inspiration for Easter and spring is contagious and motivating.
WARM POTATO SALAD + HONEY MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE {AKA “EASTER BASKET SALAD” }