Smashed Up – Loaded Up – Potato Salad
The staple of all summer celebrations, picnics and get-togethers – Potato Salad is an American tribute to “Fun in the Summer!”.Potato Salad is truly all about potatoes. Potato Salad can be disappointing when the potato is too hard; the potato tastes like it came out of a mass-produced facility (bland, boring and way to perfect in size); or the beautiful potato flavor is covered up with an ocean of thick laden mayonnaise. A well put together Potato Salad is a refreshing and delicious compliment to the perfect summer picnic. I am not a stickler who says we need to follow strict guidelines into the traditions of this dish and its ingredients. But let’s not make it a glob of potatoes nestled next to our glob of macaroni salad. It offers us so much more!So here we go…I put my creative juices to work and came up with a Potato Salad that magnifies this delicious summertime staple into a summertime burst of flavor. For starters, I created smashed Yukon potatoes. A style of cooking potatoes by boiling them first till firm but smashable. Then I baked them to get that lovely crispy skin and a light crisp of the exposed potato pulp. Chill, followed by a light chop.The fun begins! Now you can treat it like your favorite recipe or your grandmother’s recipe. The difference will be your potato is going to be the highlight.Now the games begin (and my creative juices). I styled this recipe after a loaded baked potato. A dressing that is a combination of sour cream and mayonnaise. Scallions and celery for brightness and crunch, a little cheddar cheese (who doesn’t like cheese, potatoes love cheese), crispy bacon bits and garnished with garden-fresh chives.Have fun with this recipe and make it your own!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Tiny to Small Yukon Gold Potatoes
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Celery Seed
- ¼ teaspoon Ground White Pepper
- 3/4 cup Celery chopped, about 3 stalks
- ½ cup Scallions chopped, about 3 scallions
- 6 ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese ¼ inch cubes
- ¾ pound Bacon cooked, chopped, about 8 slices
- Fresh Chives chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the bacon ahead of time. See the notes for directions on baking bacon.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Fill a large saucepan with cold water and generous amount of salt. Add the potatoes and bring them to a gentle boil. Boil for 5-7 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Strain the potatoes.
- Place potatoes in a mixing bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil to coat potatoes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and use a meat mallet or mason jar to smash the potatoes to ½ inch thickness.
- Season them with salt and ground pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flip potatoes with a spatula. Season the other side with saltand ground pepper. Bake an additional 15minutes. The potatoes should turn agolden brown. Remove from oven and coolpotatoes to room temperature.
- Chop the celery and scallions. Cube the cheese and crumble the bacon.
- Once the potatoes have cooled, add to a large mixing bowl. Add celery, scallions, cheddar, and bacon. Add the dressing to the bowl and gently mix.
- Chill for a couple hours before serving. Garnish with fresh chives.
Notes
The Bacon
My favorite bacon to use is Ludington Thick Cut Bacon out of Ludington, Michigan. It’s not too smokey, not too salty with a deep meaty flavor. Baking is the perfect way for creating a mess-free and crispy cooked bacon. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layout bacon on a parchment covered baking sheet. It’s alright for the bacon to slightly overlap (but not much of an overlap). The bacon shrinks some during the cooking process. Bake for 40-45 minutes. I check ½ way through the c
ooking time to see if the bacon needs to be flipped or the baking sheets need to be rotated (one rack cooking faster than the other rack). Every oven operates a little differently so it’s a good idea to check a few times while the bacon is cooking. Drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towel.
The Potato:
You can use a little larger potato than what I have pictured. You’ll need to increase the boiling and roasting time.
My favorite bacon to use is Ludington Thick Cut Bacon out of Ludington, Michigan. It’s not too smokey, not too salty with a deep meaty flavor. Baking is the perfect way for creating a mess-free and crispy cooked bacon. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layout bacon on a parchment covered baking sheet. It’s alright for the bacon to slightly overlap (but not much of an overlap). The bacon shrinks some during the cooking process. Bake for 40-45 minutes. I check ½ way through the c
ooking time to see if the bacon needs to be flipped or the baking sheets need to be rotated (one rack cooking faster than the other rack). Every oven operates a little differently so it’s a good idea to check a few times while the bacon is cooking. Drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towel.
The Potato:You can use a little larger potato than what I have pictured. You’ll need to increase the boiling and roasting time.