Warm Potato and Fresh Pea Salad

First, let me apologize for being erratic with my blog updates. Part of it is sheer laziness (both in lack of cooking and lack of posting what I do manage to cook these days), and part of it is that I'm way busier than I was when I started this thing... and that's LEGIT!

Let me also explain a couple of lifestyle changes I've made. First, I've started Intermittent Fasting. How does this affect my blog, you ask? Well, the calorie counts of my recipes have increased... by quite a bit. Second, I've started eating fewer carbohydrates. The affect of that one is quite obvious and a little funny to mention here in this post about POTATO salad. Hey, I said "fewer" not "no." And third, I've started lifting heavy weights aka training. That's just a tidbit of which I'm quite proud.

On to the food! This was adapted from smitten kitchen's warm lentil and potato salad. I just happened to have a bag of fresh peas that needed eating and then I thought... why not add bacon? I mean, really, when is the answer to that ever no. I know there are times, but I don't care.

Warm Potato and Fresh Pea Salad
Components
4 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into "lardons"
A few Brussels sprouts, shaved (optional - I had 5 leftover and just decided "why not?")
600-ish grams of peeled potatoes, in small chunks (new/red potatoes would be great, but I only had russet, which were fine, but not the best)
10 oz fresh peas (I get fresh English peas from Trader Joe's, but frozen ones would be fine)

Dressing
1 small shallot, minced (2-4 T, depending on your taste)
1/4 C red wine vinegar (I may have used more because I love vinegar)
2 T capers, drained
4 cornichons, minced (or mini kosher dills)
2 T - 1/4 C olive oil (I used 2 T, but called it 1/4 C in the recipe because I didn't discard the bacon grease... yeah it's lazy and inaccurate, so sue me)
salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, pour the vinegar over the shallots and let it sit while you do the rest of the things (this will mellow out the shallot flavor).

Start your bacon in a pan on low heat to render as much fat as possible. Once that's nearly complete, add the Brussels sprouts and cook until tender. Set aside.

Cook potatoes in salted water until close to fork-tender. Add the peas to the potatoes and cook another 60-90 seconds until the peas are done. Drain and put back into the pot with the lid on for 5 minutes to absorb the remaining water and steam.

Stir the rest of the dressing ingredients into the shallots & vinegar. In a large serving bowl, combine the potatoes & peas and bacon & Brussels and toss well with the dressing. Sever warm and enjoy.