Baked Potato Salad!

by jessyratfink

8.1K4016

Intro: Baked Potato Salad!

This is a no-mayo potato salad made with roasted red potatoes. It's the best ever. 

STEP 1: What You'll Need!

  • 15-20 red potatoes
  • 1 bunch green onions
  • 1 strip of bacon for every two potatoes, I used 8.
  • sour cream
  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • fresh garlic
  • olive oil
  • mustard powder (optional)
  • smoked paprika (optional)
  • salt and pepper!
Plus, a sheet pan for roasting the taters, a cutting board + a knife and a big bowl to mix it all together. :)

STEP 2: Wash Those Taters and Preheat the Oven!

 Turn the heat up to 400 degrees F. 

I normally just scrub mine and then leave them on a baking rack to dry most of the way. :)

STEP 3: Cut the Taters and Prep for Oven.

 Cut the smaller potatoes into eighths. Cut the larger ones to match the size of those pieces. 

The most important part here is getting them all close to the same size!

Once they're cut, put them on the sheet pan and season generously with salt and pepper. Then, drizzle on a bit of olive oil and toss them so they're all a wee bit shiny. 

These will go in the oven for 15 minutes!

STEP 4: Prep the Onions!

Trim off the tops and bottoms.
Then cut them into 1/2 inch wide slices. Put them aside in the big mixing bowl. :) 

STEP 5: Prep the Bacon!

 Cut the bacon into 1/2-3/4 inch strips.

Make sure all the fat has been cut through all the way. :)

Your potatoes should be done with their first 15 minutes now...

STEP 6: Toss the Potatoes, Put in for Another 15 Minutes.

 They should be getting slightly colored and wrinkly now. Just give a good toss and put them back in the oven.

STEP 7: Cook the Bacon!

 Get a large skillet and put it over medium/high heat. 

Cook the bacon until the meat turns dark red and the fat goes a lovely orange color. Keep in mind it'll cook a bit after you pull it out of the pan so don't overdo it!

You may need to drain the fat a couple times while you're cooking - just pour it into a bowl or mug and let harden. You can either cover this and keep it in the fridge or chuck the solid fat into the trash. Your choice. :D

Drain the bacon on paper towels. 

STEP 8: Extra Credit: Garlic!

Empty all of the bacon fat from the pan except for a little less than a tablespoon or so. 

Chop up a few cloves of garlic and saute them over medium heat until they get golden brown on the edges - be careful not to burn them! Keep the garlic moving!

Once the garlic is done, scoop it onto the paper towels. Notice you've also accumulated lots of yummy bacon fat and bits. NOM. 


STEP 9: Check the Taters Again.

 This time they should be even more brown and wrinkly and smelling pretty fancy.

Toss them around and put them back in for the last 15 minutes. :D

STEP 10: Combine the Onions, Bacon and Garlic!

 The bacon and garlic will still be warm but not hot and everyone will mingle in the bowl and get delicious. 

Now we just have to wait on the potatoes.

STEP 11: Once the Potatoes Are Out...

 let them cool for a bit (5-10) minutes or so and add them to the bowl. Mix it all together. :)

STEP 12: Add the Sour Cream and Cheese + Spices!

I added a couple of handfuls of cheddar cheese, about 8 oz. (a small container's worth) of sour cream, a good shake of paprika and a couple pinches of mustard powder. 

These amounts are really up to you. Just mess with it and go with your taste buds! 

Mix this all until everybody's happy and coated with deliciousness. 

STEP 13: Check for Seasonings and Serve!

 Or chill! It is also good cold. 

I just made sure mine had enough salt and pepper at this point. Not much else to do but eat now!

Enjoy! ^_^

16 Comments

VenomousKate 12 years ago

I can't stand mayo, either, but as caitlinsdad pointed out, sour cream isn't a better low-cal substitute. However, I made this yesterday using Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream and WOW. This is our new go-to potato salad. Thanks!!!!

l8nite 12 years ago

I didn't rememeber seeing this recipe when I made my frenchfry potato salad but maybe it was somewhere in the back of my mind (no age comments please) Im going to make an effort to remember the addition of cheese the next time I make tater salad and try the baking method

MsJaxFla 13 years ago

I had read this recipe before a while back and it is a great, great recipe. I so agree with you about the NO mayo...... uck on mayo (this is a baked potato salad).

Wanted to ask you to think about trying a bit of Liquid Smoke on your potatoes before roasting them. I like just a little tadge of it for this salad. I pour the smallest amount of the Liquid Smoke in my palm and then just rub it over the somewhat dry potatoes before you cut and put them in the oven. Not much, but it gives that smokey taste. Now you might not like it, but thought I would suggest trying. If such even sounds interesting to you.

I love everything you post that I have read so far.....

jessyratfink 12 years ago

I have actually never owned any liquid smoke and I've always been curious about it. :)

It does sound good!

MsJaxFla 12 years ago

The Liquid Smoke goes a "long" way, so being very sparse with trying it, especially the first time. Better to not have enough, than too much. I first tried it years ago, when I got a food dehydrator and made jerky. If you ever have some money to splurge, a food dehydrator just for jerky is wonderful. Ever since I made my own, the store bought just isn't good any longer.

jbb3141 12 years ago

Damn this is good! Just finished making it for the 4th to go along with some brisket and it turned out waaaay better than I expected. Thanks much for the great recipe!

jessyratfink 12 years ago

Yay! I love seeing comments like that. :D

I haven't made this forever and now I'm craving it!

l8nite 13 years ago

amazing what you find late at night while browsing instructables ! My grandmother made a similar salad for yrs, then my mom and now my daughters make it. The difference is they use boiled potato chunks, the dressing is miricle whip/vinager and bacon grease regular onions and no cheese but Im going to suggest the cheese for the next batch ! I have done a variaty using frozen steak fries and blucheese dressing to replace the mw/vinager in the dressing, pretty good but not as popular as the original

Teensy Doodles 14 years ago

Mm, looks delicious!

I'm getting my mom to make this on my birthday  >;D

Lokisgodhi 13 years ago

Learn how to cook it yourself. Then you can have it whenever you want.

Kryptonite 14 years ago

Yummo!

Needs a little bit more light for the opening picture but the rest look nice.

Here in some parts of Australia they've got a place called 'patty's Potatoes', where they specialize in delicious potato-y treats. They do all kinds, but my favorite was the potato salad, it looks similar to this, and now I really want to try... I might tomorrow. :D

Creativeman 14 years ago

Looks awesome, Jessy!  Do you own a restaurant? Cman

caitlinsdad 14 years ago

Yum, I would have thrown in the chopped bacon on top of the potatoes to cook in the oven at the same time. Yeah, the potatoes would have absorbed all the grease but it's bacon...

BTW, is it no-mayo because of mayo-haters?  Sour cream is not exactly a better low-cal substitute...and then you can't please the lactose-intolerant.

jessyratfink 14 years ago

 I despise mayo. It is disgusting. 

And plus, who would put mayo on a baked potato? 
(If someone actually does this I don't want to know...)

ThinkBeforeYouSpeak 14 years ago

Mmm. Sounds really good, and I have some red potatoes! Add chicken and stick it between two pieces of bread and you have, some type of sandwich.

NachoMahma 14 years ago

.  Another great Ible from Jessy.