Recipe: New Potatoes with Bacon, Sour Cream and Scallions

NEW POTATOES WITH BACON, SOUR CREAM AND SCALLIONS

"This is great for a picnic. You can fill the potato halves at home and then transport them carefully, as you would deviled eggs. Or carry the potatoes and sour cream in separate containers and assemble right before you're ready to eat. Just be sure to keep the filling chilled."

1 1/2 pounds new potatoes or very small red potatoes
Water
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cooked bacon, divided use
About 4 tablespoons finely chopped scallion, divided use

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and add water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down heat to maintain a gentle boil. Cook until largest potatoes are done, 10 to 15 minutes. (Cut a potato in half crosswise to test and return halves to the pot, if they need a little more cooking time.) Drain potatoes, add cold water to cover and let them cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

While potatoes cool, make the filling. Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, salt and pepper, 1/4 cup bacon and half the scallion. Stir well to combine everything evenly into a chunky filling.

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut each in half crosswise. (Cut them so that you have tall, peaked potato halves when you place them cut-side down.) Scoop out the top of each potato, using a melon-baller, a metal measuring teaspoon or the tip of a sharp paring knife. (Reserve scooped out potato for a single-serving portion of potato salad or save it for soup or omelets.)

Spoon about 1 teaspoon filling into top of each potato half. Top each filled potato half with a little of the reserved bacon and scallion and place on a serving platter or in a container that will hold them snugly while you head for your picnic. Place a piece of plastic wrap or waxed paper gently but directly on top of the filled potatoes, and lift it off carefully when ready to serve.

Makes 6 to 8 servings
Source: Nancie McDermott in Winston Salem-Journal, June 14, 2006