Potato salad in Graz style

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 600 g potatoes, mainly waxy
• 125 g smoked bacon, diced, or bacon cubes
• 2 pieces of onion(s), red
• 1 bunch of chives or flat parsley, depending on your preference
• 2 spring onions, the green part
• 50 g butter
• 150 ml beef stock (strong beef broth)
• 50 ml white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp, heaped tarragon mustard
• 2 cl pumpkin seed oil, Styrian
• 50 ml rapeseed oil
• n. B. Sea salt and pepper, black
• n. B. sugar
• 1 handful of pumpkin seeds, Styrian
• e.g. powdered sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest period approx. 1 day; Cooking/baking time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 1 day 1 hour 5 minutes

The (potato) dice have fallen…

The day before, boil the mostly waxy potatoes in heavily salted water until al dente. Depending on the size of the potatoes, this takes me 20 to 25 minutes. Maybe prick them with a fork once in a while to get the doneness just right. Then drain, let cool, peel them later, and store in the fridge until the next day. Peel the red onion and finely dice. Set aside about 1/4 for garnishing later. Finely dice the bacon. Cut the green part of the spring onion into fine rolls. If you have decided between chives and flat-leaf parsley, chop the leaves medium-finely and set aside 1/4 for garnishing later. Chives make the salad a bit more “elegant,” while parsley gives it real “oomph” and bite, because the stems are essential, as that’s where the flavor lies. Roast the pumpkin seeds with a few drops of rapeseed oil in a non-stick pan over three-quarters heat. Turn frequently. When the pan and seeds are hot, sprinkle several times with powdered sugar and toss frequently. As soon as a nice caramelized layer has formed, place the pumpkin seeds on baking paper, spread them out evenly, and refrigerate. Cut the jacket potatoes into large cubes. This isn’t 100% Styrian, but firstly, it makes working with the potatoes so much easier if you keep wetting the knife, and secondly, the pieces don’t stick together or break like slices do. For the stock, heat the butter in a wide saucepan and fry the bacon/speck together with the red onions for about 3 minutes. Then deglaze with the vinegar and beef broth. Now add the mustard and let the stock reduce slightly for another 3 minutes. Add the rapeseed and pumpkin seed oil and whisk everything vigorously to allow the mustard to form a basic binding agent. Now add the chives or chopped parsley and stir again. Season generously with salt, pepper, and sugar, as the potatoes absorb a lot of the seasoning. We like it with a sweet touch. If desired, slowly work your way up to your personal sweetness. Add the diced potatoes to the stock. Now comes the ultimate trick for giving the salad a wonderfully “sloppy” texture: Take the pot in your hand and swirl vigorously so that the diced potatoes touch each other and the edge of the pot. This releases some of the potato starch and binds the salad. Simply stop swirling when you like the consistency. Serve the salad immediately while still lukewarm and garnish with the reserved diced onions, herbs, spring onions, and caramelized pumpkin seeds. This goes wonderfully with fried chicken and a Grüner Veltliner.