Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

Eric and I revel in long weekends, but then again, who doesn’t? While we mostly fill our weekends doing things around the house, visiting the farmers market and seeing friends, this upcoming long weekend will be spent mostly eating. It’s summer, so cookouts are plenty right now. We’ve got two to attend this weekend. I’m hoping we can make our poblano burgers for one and this potato salad for the other.

Potato salad is a quintessential side dish for cookouts. Sure, it’s easy to purchase from your grocery store deli, but it’s almost as easy to make it yourself. This version is tossed with homemade ranch dressing and topped with crispy bacon pieces. Eric and I first made this when we had a couple friends over for Memorial Day. It took quite a bit of willpower not to snack on this before they arrived, and I kept eating spoonfuls of it while I was photographing it. The garlic, chives and parsley add vibrance and freshness to the ranch dressing. It gives this potato salad loads more flavor than the standard plain mustard or mayonnaise base and doesn’t weigh it down. I’ll actually be using this as my go-to ranch dressing recipe from now on. As if that wasn’t good enough, the potato salad is topped with crispy bacon and green onion, adding additional layers of flavor and texture. If you’re looking for that perfect side dish to take to summer cookouts, this is it.

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
2 pounds red potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain reduced-fat yogurt or sour cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 small green onion
1 clove minced garlic
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup buttermilk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 slices thick cut bacon, cooked crisp

Directions:
Cover potatoes with 1-2 inches of cold water and add the tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until the potatoes are tender, about 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, chives, parsley, green onion, garlic, lemon juice and buttermilk in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste, then refrigerate until ready to use.

Drain potatoes and transfer to a serving bowl. Allow to cool slightly, then stir in half of the ranch dressing. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Toss with remaining ranch dressing and top with bacon and additional chives or green onion if desired. Serve cold.

Adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride