My Favorite Potato Salad

Ingredients

• 0.5 teaspoon pepper black freshly ground to taste
• 1 large stalk celery peeled cut into 1/4-inch dice (1/2 cup)
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard 
• 2  hardboiled eggs roughly chopped
• 0.3 cup mayonnaise 
• 2 ounces onion cut into 1/4 - inch dice
• 2 tablespoons parsley fresh italian minced
• 0.3 cup relish sweet
• 2.5 pounds potatoes all-purpose
• 2  spring onion trimmed finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons sea salt to taste
• 0.3 cup vegetable oil 
• 2 tablespoons vinegar white

Equipment

• bowl
• baking sheet
• pot
• plastic wrap
• spatula
• colander

Directions

1. Pour 2 quarts cold water into a 4-quart pot and add 2 tablespoons of the salt. Peel the potatoes one by one, adding them to the pot as you work. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, 25 to 30 minutes, depending on their size.
2. Drain the potatoes in a colander, transfer them to a baking sheet, and let cool until they can be handled.
3. Cut the potatoes into irregular 1-inch cubes, and place in a large bowl.
4. Add the eggs, onion, celery, scallions, pickle, parsley, mayonnaise, oil, vinegar, and mustard and mix well with a rubber spatula. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Cover with plastic wrap placed flush against the potatoes and chill for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight. (The salad keeps for up to 3 days refrigerated.) Check the seasoning before serving, and add salt and pepper to taste if needed. If you're going to add the bacon, now is the time to cook, drain, and crumble six slices. Just before serving, top the potato salad with the crumbled bacon.