Looking for an awesome salad to bring to a summer bbq? Look no further! This is the best potato salad recipe (if you ask me!) Chunks of baby red potato are mixed with loads of crispy bacon, crunchy pickle, cheese, chopped egg and a few other ingredients. This deliciousness is then tossed in a creamy mixture made with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar and dill.
The best potato salad means simple, tasty ingredients … don’t ya think?
Nothing complicated here and I like that.
This recipe is like a classic potato salad amped up.
It has a few extra ingredients than you may not normally find, but nothing complicated and probably ingredients you already have on hand.
I always say that good food doesn’t have to be fussy, just tasty.
Once you make this easy potato salad recipe, there’s no going back. It’ll be your go-to, especially during the summer months!
Ingredients Needed
At its core, potato salad includes:
- Potatoes
- Mayonnaise
- Salt
- Pepper
If you really want to make your salad extra special throw in some yummy add-ins like:
- Crispy bacon
- Chopped boiled egg
- Cheddar cheese
- Pickle (so good)
- Green onion
- A few other seasonings, like dill and cayenne pepper
Best Potato To Use
I love to use red baby potatoes for homemade potato salad.
They have thin skins and are not too starchy.
And because they are thin-skinned, I always love to leave the skin on (actually, usually for all potato recipes I do that). I enjoy the little bit of texture its gives. Just make sure the potatoes are scrubbed clean and picked over before using.
Another reason why I love using baby red potatoes in this salad is because when they are boiled, they retain their shape well, which is exactly what you want when making a chunky potato salad. Nobody want mushy, broken up potatoes, do they? Red potato salad, yep, that’s the way to go!
Though I am using baby red potatoes in this potato salad, I do cut some of them, depending on their size.
Like with any produce, there are variations in size, with some potatoes being smaller or larger.
The larger ones I cut into chunks; the smaller ones, I left whole.
Just make sure that they are bite-sized and all about the same so that when the potatoes cook, they cook evenly.
How To Make It
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- Boil clean, cut, red baby potatoes. Drain, rinse, dry.
- Boil eggs.
- Cook bacon until crisp. Remove excess grease
- Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Drizzle over dill-infused dressing and stir to combine.
- Garnish with extra bacon and green onion, if desired.
Tips for Making This Recipe
- If you can’t find or don’t have baby potatoes, no worries! Just use the regular sized ones and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Don’t overcook your potatoes. Start with a pot of cold water, add potatoes, bring to a boil, salt and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until fork-tender. If they are overcooked, it will be too mushy and nobody wants that!
- After the potatoes are cooked, I always drain and rinse with cold water. I then place on a (clean) tea towel-lined baking sheet and allow the potatoes to dry out a little before adding the rest of the salad ingredients and dressing.
- If you want your salad less or more saucy, then simply omit or add mayonnaise, about a tablespoon or so at a time until you’ve reached your desired consistency. It’s always easier to add than to take away.
- I always like to reserve a little bacon and green onion for garnish to give this potato salad a pop of colour.
Next time when you’re asked to take a dish to a potluck or BBQ this recipe will be your go-to. I know it’s mine!
Don’t ya just want to grab that forkful from your screen?
What Goes With Potato Salad
Hope you try this iconic summer salad! It’s really good!
If you make this chunky potato salad recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Best Potato Salad Recipe (With Bacon and Pickles)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baby red potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut into bite-sized chunks
- 2 large cooked (hard boiled) eggs, roughly chopped
- 6 ounces bacon, few slices
- ½ cup chopped pickle
- ½ cup cheddar cheese (marble or regular cheddar), cut into small cubes
- 3 to 4 stalks green onion, chopped (plus more to taste for optional garnish)
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried dill (dill weed)
- ¾ teaspoon salt, plus more for water when boiling potatoes
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with cold water (there should be an inch or two of water above the potatoes, basically ensuring that they are fully submerged and covered by the water). Bring to a boil, season water with salt (about ½ teaspoon). Cover with lid slightly ajar and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until potatoes are just fork-tender. Note: As you are cooking the potatoes, reduce the heat, if necessary, while still maintaining a boil. Drain, rinse with a little cold water and drain again. Place on a (clean) tea towel-lined baking sheet to dry out a little.Note: You can cook eggs with the potatoes if you wish. Otherwise cook them separately until they are hard boiled.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place bacon onto a sheet pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until crispy. Remove and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Place cooked potatoes into a large bowl. Add cooked chopped eggs, crumbled cooked bacon, pickle, cheddar cheese and green onion. Note: If desired, reserve a little green onion and bacon for garnish (optional).
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, dill, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, onion powder and garlic powder until smooth an combined. Pour over potato mixture and stir until everything is well combined.
- Transfer potato salad to a serving dish. Garnish (if desired) with green onion and reserved cooked bacon. Serve and enjoy!
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Adam Romanowski
Thank you Dawn for this recipe. This is a great recipe to make a double batch for a Sunday picnic and then have left overs for work lunches during the following week.
Modifications I made that worked very nicely:
– Omit cheese and double amount of boiled eggs
– Substitute pickle juice for cider vinegar and add ~1.5x more than original recipe proportions (i.e. 3 tbsp for 1x recipe above).
Reminds me of a salad my late Oma made for family gatherings, very very tasty and comforting food.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you for the kind words, Adam, and so happy you enjoyed the recipe!! Love the twist with the pickle juice (that sounds delicious)! It’s wonderful how food can bring back fond memories, isn’t it? 🙂
Janet ` hamlett
What kind of pickles do you use? Maybe I missed this in the recipe. THANKS.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Hi Janet! I usually opt for kosher pickles, but you can use whatever variety you enjoy best. 🙂 Have a great day!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
I can’t have barbecue without having potato salad and yours sounds terrific. It reminds me of a loaded baked potato.
Girl Heart Food
I know what ya mean! Thank you Karen 🙂
Jeff the Chef
I have to say that whenever I see “the best X ever,” I usually think, uh huh. But wow, this does look like the best potato salad ever! I love eggs in potato salad. But BACON? Yes, please! And pickles, and cheese … I’ve never had a potato salad with all those things, and now I have to have it!
Girl Heart Food
Hahaha – understandable 😉 Thanks so much, Jeff!! It really is quite tasty…hope you get a chance to try this one out!