POTATO SALAD with GREEN BEANS and BACON

Lydie Marshall's cookbook Chez Nous is one I refer to often.  It's full of wonderful recipes that appeal to the way I cook and bake.  This summer I will be staying very close to where she lives in the south of France and teaches cooking classes part of the year.  Some day it would be so much fun to attend one of those classes.  This potato salad has become a favorite of my family.

               POTATO SALAD with GREEN BEANS and BACON
                    (from Lydie Marshall's book Chez Nous)
1 1/4 pounds fingerling potatoes, scrubbed under running cold water
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces lean bacon, cut into strips 1/3-inch wide and 1 1/2-inches long (1 cup)
6 ounces mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps and stems quartered
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3/4 pound young green beans or haricot verts, ends cut
1/4 cup shredded basil leaves

   In a large pan, cover the potatoes with salted cold water.  Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
   Meanwhile, in a salad bowl, combine 4 tablespoons olive oil with the vinegar, salt and freshly ground pepper.
   Drain the potatoes and quarter.  Toss them quickly in the dressing. 
   In a nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil and stir fry the bacon for 5 minutes.  Discard the fat.  Toss the bacon with the potatoes.
   Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to the skillet and briefly stir fry the mushrooms, shaking the pan occasionally, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, shaking the pan to avoid burning the garlic.  Toss the mushrooms with the potatoes and bacon. 
   In a large pan, bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil.  Add the beans and boil until just cooked through but still crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.  Drain and toss the beans and basil with the potatoes. 
   Taste and correct seasoning.  Serve immediately.
            SERVES 2 FOR DINNER; 4 to 6 FOR A FIRST COURSE