Loaded Baked Potato Salad

Loaded with all the toppings found on a baked potato this salad is super easy to make. It’s a heavenly, hearty baked potato in a bowl!

The official first day of Spring is days away and the weather is starting to warm up. I can’t think of a better way to welcome the season than to host a family gathering, which is exactly what we’re doing this weekend. I’m sure there won’t be shortage of food, fun, and laughter.

One of the dishes I plan to serve is this potato salad. Full of all the flavors found in a loaded baked potato — bacon, green onion, sour cream, and cheese — this salad is a quick and easy side dish. And, of course, I put my own little twist by adding ranch seasoning. So flavorful and a tried-and-true family favorite. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Worry-Free Cooking

• It’s so much easier to prepare potatoes using a stock pot with a strainer insert. When the potatoes are done, I just lift the strainer to drain — no need for a colander and you avoid spills and hot water splashes. Plus, one less dish to clean!

• I use my favorite 8-quart Mixing Bowl to pull together and combine all the ingredients in this recipe. It’s my go-to bowl because of its perfect size and shape for mixing.

Menu Planning

• This salad is an ideal make ahead dish for dinners, potlucks, backyard barbecues, pool parties, and more. Store prepared salad in the fridge for up to 4 days.

• Serve as a side dish with steak, burgers, or chicken. It’s especially good with anything off the grill or barbecue like Barbecue Rubbed Country Ribs.

• Leftovers taste great just as they are. If you want something a little different, put leftover potato salad in a casserole dish sprayed with nonstick spray, then bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350° F.

• This hearty dish can be a meal all by itself for lunch or dinner. Serve with a cup of soup as the side.

• Have extra bacon leftover from breakfast? Crumble it up and toss into the salad.

Helping Hand

• Red skin potatoes hold their shape better when making this salad. I’ve also used other kinds like russet and Idaho potatoes, which tends to create a softer consistency in the salad (still quite tasty, though). Try them all and see which you like best.

• I like to boil my potatoes and leave in the fridge overnight to cool. It makes handling and peeling the potatoes so much easier. A serrated peeler like the Spring Chef Vegetable Peeler is an excellent choice for getting the job done.

• This recipe calls for boiled potatoes; however, you can easily substitute for baked potatoes for a more earthy salad. Poke cleaned potatoes 4 – 5 times, lightly oil and season potatoes with kosher salt, and bake on the center rack in the oven for about an hour at 400° F.

• To skin or not to skin the potatoes? It’s a personal choice for sure. If you can’t decide, meet in the middle by removing half the skin.

• Consider frying up some fresh bacon instead of using bagged bacon bits.

• Use the entire green onion from the white bottoms all the way to the green tops (removing the roots and wilted parts, of course).

• For a milder flavor with less onions, substitute chives for green onions.

• While a packet of ranch seasoning or dip mix will work, I recommend Hidden Valley Seasoning & Salad Mix for its bolder flavors. I use this stuff in a variety of recipes, which makes the larger size well worth it.

• An effective way to ensure seasonings are evenly distributed is to combine ingredients in two steps. After adding potatoes to the bowl, add half of all the ingredients to the bowl and gently mix. Then add the remaining half of ingredients and gently mix again until evening combined.

• Letting the salad chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving releases more flavors. If you’re family isn’t pounding their knives and forks on the table waiting for dinner, let the salad chill. If there’s no time; no worries. You can serve the salad immediately and still have a quite tasty dish.

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

Recipe by Annette (•‿•)

Loaded with all the toppings found on a baked potato this salad is super easy to make. It’s a heavenly, hearty baked potato in a bowl!

Course: Salad, SidesCuisine: American

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Servings

12

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

38

minutes

Total time

35

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 5 pounds 5 red potatoes

• 1 medium 1 white onion, diced

• 1 bunch 1 green onions, chopped

• 16 ounces 16 sour cream

• 2 tablespoons 2 dried parsley flakes

• 2 cups 2 cheddar cheese

• 6 ounces 6 bacon bits

• 3/4 cup 3/4 mayonnaise

• 3 tablespoons 3 ranch seasoning

• 1 teaspoon 1 kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon 1 black pepper

Directions

• Place potatoes in a large stock pot and cover with water. Bring water to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium and cook about 10-15 minutes until potatoes are soft and easily pierced with a fork. Remove from water and cool to room temperature.
• Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl and gently mix until evenly combined.
• Peel cooled potatoes and cut into 1″ chunks. Place cut potatoes into the mixing bowl, and stir gently until all ingredients well combined.
• Garnish with parsley flakes, extra green onions, or a little extra shredded cheese, as desired.
• Serve and enjoy!

Grocery & Gourmet

• Hidden Valley Seasoning & Salad Mix is a must-have in the seasoning cabinet.

Worry-Free Cooking

• 8-Quart Mixing BowlView Details
• 8-Quart Stock Pot with StrainerView Details
• Spring Chef Vegetable PeelerView Details

Have you tried this recipe? Tag @annettes.cooking on Instagram and hashtag it #annettescooking

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a comment and star rating below. It’s always refreshing to hear how others like a recipe, find success with it, or tweak to suit. I’d love to hear from you!