Add Bacon Fat To Your Potato Salad Dressing And Thank Us Later
There are few ingredients in the world that don't pair well with bacon. Its salty, fatty flavor pairs perfectly with anything from pancakes to pastas, and it's probably the reason wedge salads taste so good, too. But there's another dish in which the addition of bacon creates a symphony of flavor: Potato salad. Crispy chopped rashers will certainly add texture and meaty savor to the side dish, but before getting rid of that bacon fat, consider adding a little into the salad dressing for the ultimate salty and porky flavor boost. You can even use your saved leftover bacon fat — just make sure to heat it gently until it melts enough to be easily whisked.
Bacon fat is the grease that drips from the meat as it cooks, and while it's normally thrown away, it's actually a great way to enhance your potato salad dressing. All it takes is combining the fat with a few other ingredients to build a potato salad that your guests won't forget. A little goes a long way, though, so be careful not to add more than you need, or the flavor could become overwhelming and the salad could become excessively greasy.
Tips for adding bacon fat to your potato salad
Most potato salad recipes call for a mayo-based dressing, and this is the perfect vessel for adding a little bacon fat to the dish. You can use the smoky lipid as the main fat in a hearty German potato salad, which is just as good served cold as it is warmed up or at room temperature. The amount of bacon fat to add will vary depending on how much salad you're making, but start small; try incorporating a tablespoon of fat to the dressing mixture and then giving it a taste. If it needs more, splash in another spoonful, but keep in mind that it will be impossible to remove that fat once it's there.
For the perfect balance, consider adding some kind of acid to the dressing, too, which will complement the rich, savory flavors of mayonnaise and bacon fat. Vinegar or lemon juice will both work. Season the potato salad with salt, of course, but be judicious — if you're adding chopped bacon to the dish, this will provide a good amount of salt on its own. A dash is likely all the dressing needs in this case.
There's a scientific reason why we love bacon (and bacon fat)
If you're worried that your guests won't be amused with the bacon fat addition, rest easy: Our taste buds are drawn to bacon for a reason. When the porcine treat is cured prior to being cooked, the salt and smoke alter the way it tastes, imbuing it with those briny, deeply aromatic notes that people love so much. As bacon cooks, that tantalizing smell is the result of the fat melting (which also translates to its flavor). This faintly sweet yet undeniably meaty aroma is inherently stimulating, which is why when bacon fat dressing is evenly mixed and dispersed throughout your potato salad, it changes the whole essence of the dish.
Then there's the Maillard reaction, a complex flavor process that occurs when sugars and amino acids heat up and break down; responsible for browning, it helps seal the deal on those rich, savory notes. Our taste buds — and noses — are immediately attracted to all of these chemical reactions, in the form of smell, taste, and even the visual appearance of perfectly cooked bacon.
Something to keep in mind: While other types of meat, such as turkey, can be fashioned into faux "bacon," pork's unique flavor isn't so easy to reproduce. If you plan to add bacon fat to your potato salad, your best bet is to stick with traditional pork bacon (plus, there's not much fat on turkey bacon, anyway).