Potato Salad a la Ana

Or, as my friend Ana succinctly calls this bestselling recipe of hers, "Potata a la Ana".

I first had a taste of this creamy potato salad last December, when she brought a batch to another friend's house for our annual Christmas dinner/get-together. Just one bite, and it was enough to make me ask for the recipe.

Minus the basil (the supermarket was scarce of it) and with the excess dash of cayenne pepper, my first attempt to replicate her dish was, well, alright. Considering that Ana's recipe didn't have the appropriate measurements per ingredient, I had to make guesses as to the amount that I had to put in. Considering further that I've had practically zero experience cooking with herbs, I wasn't sure how each one would taste, or what it would do to the dish, so again, I could only cross my fingers and pray that I wouldn't overdo anything. After this first try, I know better.

Want to try? Here's the recipe.

POTATA A LA ANA

Ingredients:

Marble potatoes, boiled and seasoned with salt
Butter
Olive oil
Bacon bits (if you can't find the pre-chopped ones, you can always chop them yourself)
Parmesan cheese
Cheddar cheese
Cayenne pepper
Basil
Oregano
Garlic, chopped (lots and lots of it)
Salt
All-purpose cream

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil over medium-low fire. (You can use two rounds of it on the pan.)
2. Add the butter. A small chunk would do.
3. Sautee the garlic until golden brown, but not burnt. Add the bacon bits until they get crispy. Be careful not to burn the garlic and the bacon.
4. Add the boiled potatoes. You can halve them if you like.
5. Sprinkle some oregano, cayenne pepper, and basil.
6. Pour in the all-purpose cream. Bring to a boil until the cream is almost dry.
7. Grate some cheddar cheese and add a generous helping of parmesan cheese. Cook until the cheese dissolves in the sauce.
8. Add a pinch of salt to taste.

Let me know how it turns out!