POTATO SALAD WITH MUSTARD VINIAGRETTE

Adapted from Gourmet. Tried this as a summery alternative to roasting potatoes, and because I got the lemon juice tip from the Australian guy at Weiser family farms, where we got white, pink and purple potatoes. It was beautiful, and yummy. Tossing the taters with the vinegar/sugar while still warm let that flavor sink in deeply. Then the mustard/shallot dressing added a whole other flavor. Kudos from the dinner guests, including James, who usually “doesn’t like potato salad”.

2 lbs. small boiling potatoes, preferably of many colors, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar (optional)
4 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1/3 cup finely chopped shallot
2 tablespoons coarse-grained Dijon mustard (not whole-grain)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
fresh parsley and/or other herbs of choice
salt and pepper

Cover potatoes with salted cold water by 2 inches in a 5- to 6-quart pot. Bring to a boil. If you have multiple colors of potato, add lemon juice at this point to keep color from bleeding. Simmer, uncovered, until just tender, 15 - 20 minutes.
Meanwhile whisk together sugar and 3 tablespoons vinegar in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Whisk together shallot, mustard, and remaining tablespoon vinegar in a different bowl. Allow this to sit for at least 10 minutes, so that the shallots macerate. Drain potatoes in a colander and cool slightly, then toss gently with vinegar mixture.
Add oil to shallot mixture in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Add dressing to potatoes, then season with salt and pepper and herbs of choice and stir gently with a rubber spatula.