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loaded potato salad

Loaded Potato Salad

Cold, creamy, and genuinely loaded with bacon, cheddar, and green onion, this is a potato salad that tastes like the baked potato it started as. Make it the day before and it'll be better for the wait.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Chilling Time 3 hours
Servings: 12
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Calories: 455
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 pounds russet potatoes choose similar sizes so they bake evenly
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar goes on while the potatoes are still warm
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • ¾ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 12 ounces bacon cooked, cooled and chopped
  • 6 green onions chopped
  • 1 ½ cups medium cheddar cheese shredded

Method
 

  1. Bake the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put the cleaned potatoes on a baking sheet and pierce each one 4 to 5 times with a fork so steam can escape. Coat them lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, and cook for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester or skewer slides in easily. Take them out and let them cool for 5 minutes.
  2. Peel, cut, and splash with vinegar. Once they’re cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch chunks, discarding the jackets. The flesh may crumble and get shaggy, which is fine, so transfer all of it to a large mixing bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, sprinkle them with the apple cider vinegar and let them rest for 15 to 30 minutes, or until cooled.
  3. Cook the bacon. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet or in the oven, drain it, and let it cool. Crumble it into bite-size pieces.
  4. Mix the dressing. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and sour cream, then season with the kosher salt and pepper.
  5. Fold everything together. When the potatoes are cool, pour the mayonnaise mixture over them along with the crumbled bacon, green onion, and cheddar cheese. Fold the ingredients together gently, lifting from the bottom rather than stirring, so the potato pieces stay intact. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Chill before serving. Refrigerate for 3 hours up to overnight before serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Notes

This is built for making ahead. The minimum 3 hour chill means it can’t be a last-minute dish, and overnight is a legitimate option that takes it off your list entirely on serving day.
Greek yogurt is given as a direct alternative to sour cream in the ingredient list. It brings more tang and a slightly thicker consistency, so expect a sharper result.
Pick russets of roughly similar size for the baking sheet. Four pounds of mixed small and large potatoes will finish at different points across the 50 to 60 minute window, and you’ll be checking them individually.
The recipe seasons twice, once in the dressing and once after folding. Both are necessary. Four pounds of potato absorbs far more salt than you’d expect, and the taste right after folding is the reliable one.