Rosemary-Bacon Roasted Potatoes with Mustard-Bacon-Sauvignon Blanc Vinaigrette

I made these potatoes for my parents while I was in Pasadena and they loved them; my mom asked me to write down the recipe, but I did not. Partly because there is no recipe (I made it up as I went), but mostly because I forgot. I told Tracie and Bryce about the potatoes and they both said they wanted to see pictures. So I made them again the other night when Elizabeth's parents were staying with us. Here's what I did:

I took about two pounds of red potatoes and cut them into quarters (and the large ones into six pieces). I sliced two shallots thinly, then put that all in a bag with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and let it sit on the counter for a couple of hours.

I preheated the oven to 350 degrees and dumped the potatoes and shallots onto a pan. I chopped up a handful of fresh rosemary - as much or as little as you like - and added that as well.

While the potatoes were in the oven, I slowly cooked some thick bacon, so that it got crispy but not burnt, then broke apart the pieces and set them aside.

I mixed together mustard and Sauvignon blanc vinegar. (I brought a bottle from California with me, thinking it would be a nice souvenir... turns out they sell it at a nearby store in New York. Oh.)

See that bacon grease? Can you guess what we're doing with that?

Yep, we're stirring it in to the vinaigrette. I would recommend doing it slowly. The typical vinaigrette is supposed to have about 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, but I like mine much more tart - I usually do about a 2:1 ratio. You can decide for yourself.

When the potatoes were ready - about 40 minutes - I removed them from the oven, slid them into a bowl, and added a bit more chopped fresh rosemary. Then I added the bacon pieces.

Right before serving - I'm talking just a couple minutes - I toss the potatoes with the vinaigrette. I want to make sure to get them all covered, but I don't need the potatoes sitting in the vinaigrette for too long.

I served them with green beans and flank steak. Once again, everyone loved them.

This isn't health food. I wouldn't recommend making them every night. But when you have guests over whom you want to impress, or you just want some potatoes with a little extra zing and depth of flavor, these are a winner.