I love a good potato salad! The combo of perfectly cooked potatoes, egg, dijon mustard, pickled relish and paprika…I mean, dang.  A traditional potato salad is hard to beat. But I feel like this potato salad is a fresh, bright change of a July 4th favorite.

Representing the color RED, we have red skin potatoes and none other than bacon! The WHITE is found in white potatoes that I mixed in with the red. And the BLUE is from the crumbled blue cheese. Not sure if there is any other “blue” food that is more appropriate here?

Total disclaimer, I am not a blue cheese fan! But when it’s paired with salty bacon, tangy lemon zest and sweet balsamic vinegar – all of the sudden, I am a blue cheese believer. I love taking foods that I “dislike” and adjusting my taste buds around it. Except olives. I will NEVER like olives, yuck.

I hope everyone has a very happy fourth! And if you’re looking for something easy to bring to that BBQ or pool party, look no further. Impress your friends and fam with this easy dish.

serves 4-6 people

1.5 lbs mixture of baby red/white potatoes
1/4 EVOO
1/4 balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mayo
3 tablespoons fresh dill
3 tablespoon fresh chives
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large lemon, zested & juiced
salt & pepper, to taste
8 slices of bacon
1/4 cup green onion
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
honey roasted pecans, chopped

1. In a large pot, add potatoes, pinch of salt and fill with water. Bring to boil and cook about 10-12 minutes.
2. While potatoes are boiling, cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat. When done, let sit on paper towels. Reserve about 1-2 tablespoons of the bacon grease ;) trust me!
2. Strain potatoes and let chill for about 20 minutes. Dice potatoes into small chunks.
3. In a mixing bowl, use a whisk to mix everything from balsamic vinegar – salt and pepper.
4. In a large mixing bowl add potatoes, balsamic vinegar mixture, chopped green onion and you guessed it…leftover bacon grease!
5. Let this mixture sit in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours. The longer the flavors can sit and really combine, the better! When ready to serve, add blue cheese and lightly toss. Top with honey roasted pecans! Here are the ones I had laying around in my pantry…and yes, I covered up the expiration date ;)

Tadaaaaaaa! Feel free to garnish with additional green onion, dill and chives if you’re feeling chef-y.