Warm Potato Salad with Bacon, Egg & Mustard Dressing

This warm potato salad brings together crispy bacon, boiled eggs and a punchy Dijon mustard dressing, with French beans, black olives and creamy avocado tossed through for good measure. It’s fresh and colourful but hearty enough to be dinner, not just a side.

Unlike a traditional mayonnaise-based potato and egg salad, the warm new potatoes soak up the mustardy vinaigrette while they’re still warm, giving every bite plenty of flavour. Salty bacon and olives balance the creamy avocado and egg, while fresh chives add a final burst of freshness.

Serve it warm for a relaxed dinner outside, or let it cool to room temperature for summer lunches and barbecues — this new potato salad recipe works brilliantly either way.

Prep 15 mins

Cook 20 mins

Serves 4

Style Warm Salad

Ingredients

For the warm potato salad

700g baby or new potatoes, halved if large
200g French beans, trimmed
150g smoked bacon or gammon, cooked and cut into generous pieces
3 eggs
1 ripe avocado, sliced
80g black olives
½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the wholegrain mustard dressing

1½ tbsp wholegrain mustard
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, finely grated or crushed
½ tsp honey
1–2 tsp warm bacon cooking juices, optional
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Place the new potatoes in a large saucepan of well-salted cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for around 15–20 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a knife.
While the potatoes are cooking, bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Carefully add the eggs and cook for around 8 minutes for yolks that are set but still slightly jammy. Transfer to cold water, then peel and quarter.
Add the French beans to the potato pan for the final 2–3 minutes of cooking. Drain well, set the beans aside and allow the potatoes to steam dry for a minute.
Cook the bacon or gammon in a frying pan over a medium heat until golden and browned at the edges. Remove from the pan and set aside. Reserve a teaspoon or two of the cooking juices for the dressing, if using.
Make the dressing by whisking together the wholegrain mustard, red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, honey and reserved bacon cooking juices, if using. Season with plenty of black pepper and only a little salt, as the bacon and olives are already salty.
While the potatoes are still warm, add them to a large bowl with the sliced red onion. Pour over most of the wholegrain mustard dressing and toss gently. Leave for 5–10 minutes so the warm potatoes absorb the dressing.
Add the French beans, bacon or gammon and black olives. Gently toss everything together with the remaining dressing.
Add the sliced avocado and fold it through carefully so the pieces keep their shape.
Transfer the warm potato salad to a serving bowl and arrange the quartered eggs over the top. Finish generously with fresh chives and freshly ground black pepper before serving.

Cook’s note This warm potato salad is best served just warm or at room temperature rather than fridge-cold. Dressing the potatoes while they are still warm helps them absorb the wholegrain mustard vinaigrette. Add the avocado and boiled eggs at the very end so they keep their shape.