Guacamole and Bacon Potato Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make potato and bacon salad? ›

Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, chives, garlic salt, and pepper in a large serving bowl until well blended. Gently stir potatoes into dressing until well coated. Sprinkle with cheese, bacon, and red onion; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Stir toppings in just before serving.

The skin on a potato adds a nice texture and flavor to the potato salad and it's also the healthiest part.

Taste of Home Deputy Food Editor James Schend suggests adding a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to the water before it comes to a simmer, which will help create a “crust” on the potatoes. This way, they'll be less likely to fall apart.

Dense potatoes don't absorb seasonings easily, so you'll need to salt the water liberally so that the water the potatoes do drink up also carries in seasoning. And because potatoes are so timid in flavor, they need that salt to bring them out of their shells. Pour some salt in, then keep going.

Mix mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in large glass or plastic bowl. Add potatoes, celery and onion; toss. Stir in eggs. Sprinkle with paprika.

Traditional potato salad in the US is made with mayonnaise and it is best to wait until the potatoes have cooled before adding any dressing.

Peeled potatoes.

Place whole, skin-on potatoes in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer until tender. Once the potatoes are cooked, the skins slip off easily. Finish by cutting the potatoes into pieces.

Larger potatoes should be cubed to ensure they cook evenly (peeled first if desired). Smaller potatoes tend to have thin skins and can be boiled whole, no peeling required.

Starchy potatoes should be cooked whole with the skin on, then peeled and cut after they're cooked. Select medium Russet potatoes, not large ones, to ensure the skin doesn't split while cooking. Peel them when they're hot (wearing disposable gloves to protect your hands from the heat), then cut them into cubes.

Should potatoes be cool before adding mayonnaise? ›

Some people say potato salad tastes better the next day. Even if you're not in that camp, you need to allow about one hour for the potatoes to cool before adding the mayonnaise.

Waxy potatoes are generally considered the best for classic potato salad because they retain their shape, you don't have to peel them, and they have a smooth texture.

Yes, potato salad gets even better if left to sit overnight in the fridge. The flavors combine and the potatoes absorb more of the seasoning/dressing, making for a more flavorful experience.

Yes, if your potato salad is a cold salad, as most are, allow the cooked potatoes to cool to room temperature before adding the dressing and other ingredients.

If you're here, you'll probably be glad to know that yes, you can peel and cut potatoes the day before you plan to serve them — and that it's super easy! All you have to do is submerge the bare potato pieces in water and refrigerate (more on that later).