#1594 - Hot Lettuce Potato Salad

(by Grandmother Pauline [Tharp] Herman)

6-10 slices of bacon
3 heaping TBSP flour
3 heaping TBSP white sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
3 TBSP cider vinegar
cold water
8 large red potatoes (peeled, cooked until tender, and diced)
4 hard boiled eggs
1 cup diced celery (green part)
1 cup diced celery (yellow heart part--leaves and all)
1 tsp. celery seed

Peel potatoes, cover with water in a pot and add 2 tsp. salt--bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain potatoes and let them cool--dice the potatoes and set aside. Hard boil the 4 eggs and let them cool--once cooled, peel the eggs and chop them--set aside. Break raw bacon into bite sized pieces. In a large cast iron skillet, fry the bacon until crisp. Use paper towels to wipe bacon grease out of skillet but leave bacon pieces in the skillet. In a 2 qt. bowl add flour, white sugar, salt--stir with a wooden spoon. Add milk and stir. Add eggs and beat with the spoon. Add vinegar and stir. Add enough water to fill the 2 qt. bowl to the top. Add this entire mixture into the skillet that still has the bacon pieces in it. Turn heat on medium and stir constantly until it comes to a boil and thickens. Once it thickens, remove from heat and let it cool to luke warm. In a large bowl add diced potatoes, chopped eggs, celery seed, both cups celery--pour the bacon dressing mixture on top--stir with a wooden spoon. Serve hot or let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.