And it's one of Hubby's favorite foods. He, like most, has a special way he likes a baked potato... cheddar, bacon, butter, sour cream, salt, pepper & chives.
A few years back, I found a baked potato salad at a grocery deli. It had all of those ingredients! But... it was awful. It was greasy (insert scared face here) and the potatoes were far from being cooked (still hard!).
It didn't take long for me to pull together my own recipe. After many test runs (with the hubby taste-testing and offering suggestions) we have the best potato salad ever! The Hubby asks for it often and requests I make it for any barbecue/pot luck function.
So, without further ado (and rambling) I present our perfect Baked Potato Salad. It takes a bit of time, so make it the day before an event.
BAD-ASS Sub-Ins:
Wanna push this salad to the next level of awesomeness? Try these tips.
- Cook & Crumble Bacon Strips... let cool before adding to salad.
- Use Sharp Cheddar Cheese.
- Use fresh chives (I can't always find these, so I usually buy the freeze-dried).
- Molly McButter! What's a baked potato without butter? This can be added during the salt & pepper stage.
SKINNY-ASS Sub-Ins:
Saving calories? Fine... try these tips.
- Use Lower/No Fat Sour Cream.
- Low Fat Cheese.
- No Bacon (boo! hiss!)
- Turkey Bacon (cooked & crumbled)
Baked Potato Salad
This is one of my husband's most requested foods. It is perfect for barbecues and potlucks.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Russet Potatoes
- 16 ounces Sour Cream
- 6 ounces Real Bacon Bits
- 2 cups Mild Cheddar Cheese
- 2-3 tablespoons Chives (freeze dried)
- (to taste) Salt & Pepper
- 8 ounces Sour Cream (optional)
Instructions
1. Set oven to 425 degrees. Wash potato skins well and stab with a fork 3-6 times (depending on size). Place potatoes directly on oven rack, in the center of the oven. Bake for about 60 minutes. 2. When potatoes are done, set on the counter to cool. Turn off the oven! The potatoes will need to cool for 45-60 minutes. They won't be completely cool when we work with them again, but they cannot be steaming hot! Let them cool properly.3. Ok! Get out a large bowl. I'm not kidding here... the bowl has to be huge (like 22-25 cups). And you'll need a lid. So get your biggest bowl with a lid.4. Cut cooled potatoes. I usually chunk them... cut in half lengthwise then each half is cut into eighths. Put pieces into the bowl. I also use the time to pick out the weird brown/imperfect parts of the potato. I obviously, throw this away.5. Salt & pepper generously. Since we are working with lots of potatoes, I salt & pepper then stir and season again. Potatoes are bland, so this step is very important!6. Add all the bacon & cheese. Stir together (you're glad you have that big bowl now!).7. Stir in 16 ounces of sour cream. This will take a lot of work... mix slowly & carefully.8. Add chives. I like more flavor, so I also use about half of the spice bottle (approx. 3 tbs). But you can add less if you're not a big onion fan. Mix into the salad.9. Put the lid on the bowl & chill for at least four hours.10. Here's where the extra sour cream comes in... before serving you'll notice the potatoes are dry (they love to suck up the moisture in salads). Add 4-8 ounces of sour cream... mix well.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 10-12 Servings
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