Hey friends, I’m on vacation!

I arrived in Camillus on Friday and have been bouncing around Rochester/Cayuga Lake/Ithaca and haven’t had internet access to blog. As a matter of fact I saw my blog buddy Sheila on Saturday for the first time in, seriously, 8 months (!!) when I drove her to Rochester for Park Ave Fest. We’ve discussed this particular event many moons ago on the blog but I won’t link to it because Sheila posted an unflattering photo of me (rude).

While we were en route to Rochester, Sheila informed me that the way I discuss my lack of a social life implies that I’ve renounced alcohol entirely and am considering joining the nunnery when I finish ear nerd school. This is not true. I enjoy a beer or two at happy hour every now and then, or the GS and I will split  a bottle of wine at dinner if we’re feeling fancy. I just don’t get out a lot, and therefore my tolerance for alcohol is very low. When I say “I don’t really drink” I literally mean that 1-2 beverages and I can’t operate a vehicle.

To prove to you that I’m not Amish even though my favorite place in the world CAMP is located in Amish country, I’m giving you a recipe with booze.

To be fair, I made this last Thursday in Bmore before Sheila and I even talked. But let’s just go with it.

Warm Potato Salad on the Grill

adapted from Michael Symon

2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes (about 5 medium potatoes)

6-7 slices of bacon

1 small Vidalia onion

3-4 scallions

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons mustard*

salt and pepper

BEER, of your choice

Cook the bacon on the stove to your desired crispiness, then remove to drain. Reserve the bacon fat in a small container.

Combine the vinegar, mustard, and 2-3 of the chopped scallions for your dressing. The original recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of whole grain mustard and 2 tablespoons of sugar. *I ended up using 1 tablespoon of sweet mustard and 1 tablespoon of spicy mustard and left out the sugar entirely, but you can add it in there to taste depending on the type of mustard you have on hand, and the level of sweetness you’re looking for. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Clean the potatoes and slice into bite-sized pieces, leaving the skin on. Divide them evenly between two large pieces of aluminum foil. Drizzle the majority (or all) of your bacon fat over the potatoes. Pour a few glugs (?) of beer over each of the packets. The beer is going to help the potatoes steam on the grill, so you want a good amount of liquid but not too much that it’s going to spill out of the packets. I used a Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale (one of my favorites) but you can really use any beer. Pick something that you’ll want to drink the rest of!

Fold the foil into a tight and secure packet for the potatoes. Put the packets on the grill over medium-high heat for 25-30 minutes.

While the potatoes are on the grill, saute the Vidalia onion in the remaining bacon fat (or in olive oil if the fat is gone) until slightly translucent. Remove from heat.

Once the potatoes come off the grill, combine in a large bowl with the onion, bacon, dressing, and remaining chopped scallions. I served it with grilled pork chops and prosciutto-wrapped asparagus.

This puts any cold potato salad with mayonnaise to shame. AND, the GS ate the leftovers on Monday night and said that it was even better than fresh off the grill on Thursday. Which basically means you should just double the recipe to make sure you have some for the day after. Or four days after.

He’s going to starve while I’m gone.

**Note: My mom ended up making this on a rainy day when it wasn’t ideal grilling weather. She put the foil packet of potatoes in the oven and said they came out just as delicious!