Loaded Potato Salad

This loaded potato salad has all the best parts of a loaded baked potato, in a big-batch cold salad that’s perfect for picnics and barbecues. In this recipe, red potatoes are boiled until tender, cut and dressed with a combination of sour cream, mayonnaise and chives. Then Colby jack cheese and crispy bacon are mixed in to make this loaded potato salad spectacular.

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds Red Potatoes (small or medium)
• ¼ cup Mayonnaise
• ¼ cup Sour Cream
• 2 teaspoons Chives, chopped (plus a little extra for garnish)
• 1 teaspoon Salt (plus 1 tablespoon to cook the potatoes)
• ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
• ¼ cup Shredded Colby Jack Cheese, plus a tablespoon or two for garnish, if desired
• 4-6 Bacon Slices, cooked crispy and chopped (4 slices for the potato salad and 2 slices for garnish if desired)

Boil the potatoes

• Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover them with water by 1-2 inches. Place the pot over high heat and bring the water to a full boil, this will take about 8-10 minutes.
• When the water is boiling vigorously, add 1 tablespoon of salt.
• Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes until they’re fork tender. A fork or knife should slide right in and out of the potato with no resistance. The cooking time will depend on the size of the potatoes. Choose potatoes that are roughly the same size so they cook at the same rate.
• Try to not overcook the potatoes. If they’re too tender, they’ll break apart when sliced and won’t hold their shape for the potato salad. Although, a smashed potato salad will be just as delicious, so don’t sweat it too much if they overcook.
• Drain the potatoes completely using a large strainer and let them cool. This is a cold dish so there’s no need to hurry and handle the potatoes hot.

While the potatoes cook and cool make the bacon and the dressing.

Cook the bacon

I’m a big fan of making bacon in the oven, but since we’re only making 4-6 slices here making it in microwave or stovetop works well too.

Oven preparation: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the bacon on the baking sheet, without overlapping. Cook the bacon for approximately 20-30 minutes, or until it’s cooked and crispy. Remove from the oven, transfer to a pan or plate lined with a paper towel.

Microwave preparation: Line a large, microwave safe plate with 2 (good quality) paper towels. Arrange the bacon slices on the plate and place 2 paper towels on top. Microwave for 3-4 minutes on high heat. Then check on it by carefully lifting the paper towel. Give the bacon an additional 1-2 minutes and check it again. Continue until it’s cooked crisp. Be very careful removing the plate from the microwave it will be very HOT!

Stovetop preparation: Add the bacon to a large skillet, without overlapping. Cook the bacon on medium heat until it’s cooked and crispy, turning occasionally. Remove the bacon from the skillet and transfer to a pan or plate lined with a paper towel to drain.

When the bacon is cool enough to handle, chop it into small pieces.

Instructions

Cut the potatoes into quarters or halves, depending on their size, and add them to a large bowl.

• Make the dressing for the potato salad: Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, chopped chives, salt, and pepper to a medium bowl. Stir vigorously with a fork or small whisk to combine the ingredients and make it smooth and creamy.
• Pour the dressing over the potatoes.
• Then, add the bacon and cheese. Gently stir and toss until the ingredients are combined and the potatoes are coated with the dressing. Use a rubber spatula to toss the potatoes to prevent tearing.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate until the potato salad is cold. Garnish with extra chopped chives, bacon and shredded cheese, if desired and serve.

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Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Loaded Potato Salad

This loaded potato salad has all the best parts of a loaded baked potato, in a big-batch cold salad that’s perfect for picnics, summer barbeques and potlucks.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cold side dish, potato salad

Servings: 6

Calories: 302kcal

Author: Elizabeth

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Red Potatoes small or medium
• ¼ cup Mayonnaise
• ¼ cup Sour Cream
• 2 teaspoons Chives chopped (plus a little extra for garnish)
• 1 teaspoon Salt plus 1 tablespoon to cook the potatoes
• ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
• ¼ cup Shredded Colby Jack Cheese plus a tablespoon or two for garnish, if desired
• 4-6 Bacon Slices cooked crispy and chopped (4 slices for the potato salad and 2 slices for garnish if desired)

Instructions

Boil the potatoes

• Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover them with water by 1-2 inches. Place the pot over high heat and bring the water to a full boil, this will take about 8-10 minutes.
• When the water is boiling vigorously, add 1 tablespoon of salt.
• Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes until they’re fork tender. A fork or knife should slide right in and out of the potato with no resistance.
• Drain the potatoes completely and let them cool.

While the potatoes cook and cool, make the bacon and the dressing

• Cook the bacon until crispy using your favorite method:

  Oven preparation: Preheat oven to 375° Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the bacon on the baking sheet, without overlapping. Cook the bacon for approximately 20-30 minutes, or until it’s cooked and crispy. Remove the bacon from the oven, transfer to a pan or plate lined with a paper towel.

  Microwave preparation: Line a large, microwave safe plate with 2 (good quality) paper towels. Arrange the bacon slices on the plate and place 2 paper towels on top. Microwave the bacon for 3-4 minutes on high heat. Then check on it by carefully lifting the paper towel. Give the bacon an additional 1-2 minutes and check it again. Continue until the bacon is cooked crisp.

  Stovetop preparation: Add the bacon to a large skillet, without overlapping. Cook the bacon on medium heat until it’s cooked and crispy, turning occasionally. Remove the bacon from the skillet and transfer to a pan or plate lined with a paper towel to drain.
• When the bacon is cool enough to handle, chop it into small pieces.

Make the dressing

• Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, chopped chives, salt, and pepper to a medium bowl. Stir vigorously with a fork or small whisk to combine the ingredients and make it smooth and creamy. Refrigerate the dressing until ready to use. Stir it well to loosen.

Cut the potatoes

• When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut each potato into quarters or halves, depending on their size.

Finish the potato salad

• Add the potatoes to a large bowl and pour the dressing over them.
• Add the bacon and shredded cheese and gently stir and toss the potatoes until they coated with the dressing. Use a rubber spatula to toss the potatoes to prevent tearing.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate until it's cold. Garnish with extra chopped chives, bacon and shredded cheese, if desired and serve.

Notes

• The cooking time will depend on the size of the potatoes. Try to choose potatoes that are roughly the same size so they cook at the same rate.
• Try to not overcook the potatoes. If they’re too tender, they’ll break apart when sliced and won’t hold their shape for the potato salad.

Nutrition

Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 661mg | Potassium: 752mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 140IU | Vitamin C: 13.2mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1.2mg

The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate.This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.