Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

June 6, 2012 • Alaska from Scratch, Recipes, Seasons, Side Dishes, Summer

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad via Alaska from Scratch

Weather: 55, rain
What I’m listening to: Fire and Rain, James Taylor

The other night I had a hankering for some potato salad to go along with our Country Ribs with Sassy Barbecue Sauce. I’m a huge fan of homemade potato salad (especially in the summer) and I have a classic recipe that I almost always use with hard-boiled eggs and dill pickles. But, I didn’t have everything I needed on hand. Blast.

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad via Alaska from Scratch

What I did have on hand were the fixins for some ranch dressing from scratch – like sour cream, garlic, and green onions- and a few slices of bacon. Pair those with some potatoes (which makes complete sense, right?) and we’ve ourselves some tasty, outside-the-box potato salad that rivals my longtime favorite recipe.

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

  • 6-8 medium potatoes, peeled, and cut into uniform bite-sized chunks
  • 5 slices of bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
  • 1/2c sour cream (I used light)
  • 1/2c mayonnaise
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4c green onions, sliced
  • 1 stalk celery, diced (optional, for texture)
  • 1T chopped, flat-leaf parsley (2t dried parsley can be subbed)
  • 2t worcestershire sauce
  • splash of rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2t pepper
  • 1/2t salt
  • 1/4t paprika
  • 1/4t cayenne pepper or a dash of hot sauce (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and turn heat down to medium. Boil until potatoes are tender to the bite, being careful not to overcook them (or else they will fall apart and turn to mush/mashed potatoes).

Pour potatoes into a colander and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process. Allow to drain.

To a large bowl, stir together all the remaining ingredients. When potatoes are cool, add them to the mixture and fold them in until thoroughly coated in the bacon ranch mix (if potatoes aren't wet enough, add a splash or two of milk until desired consistency is reached). Taste for seasoning and add more salt as needed. Refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 90 minutes to chill through.