A really good potato salad is hard to beat at any potluck or picnic. Intelligent people are partial to many different varieties of potato salad, so you never know which is the true, astute winner. But this Bacon Potato Salad is sure to push to the front of the red-and-white-checkered tablecloth class of the potato salad elite. The crispness of the highly demanded bacon paired with the exceptionally well-rounded, tender red potatoes are chased by a cream-of-the-crop, savory, and delicious mayo brilliance. There will be no contest when this Bacon Potato Salad graduates with high honors at your next event. Be resourceful and set the potato salad bar high for all your food-focused gatherings from now on. It’s a no brainer!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 pound bacon, finely chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Dijon or yellow mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon dillweed
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
Directions
Step 1 –Place the potatoes in a 6-quart stockpot and fill the pot with enough water to cover the potatoes.
Step 2 –Add 1 teaspoon of the salt to the potatoes and bring the water to a boil.
Step 3 –Reduce the heat and cook the potatoes, uncovered, until they are tender, about 12-15 minutes.
Step 4 –In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it is crisp.
Step 5 –Transfer the bacon from the skillet and drain on paper towels. Reserve 4 tablespoons of the bacon drippings in the skillet and drain the rest.
Step 6 –Add the onions to the reserved bacon drippings and cook until they are browned, about 6-8 minutes.
Step 7 –Drain the water from the cooked potatoes.
Step 8 –Reserve 1/4 of the cooked bacon for the topping.
Step 9 –Add the cooked onions, the onion drippings, the celery, and the remaining bacon to the potatoes.
Step 10 –In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, the mustard, the dillweed, the celery salt, the celery seed, and the remaining salt and stir to combine.
Step 11 –Pour the mayonnaise mixture over the potato mixture and toss to coat.
Step 12 –Refrigerate the potato salad, covered, until it is chilled, about 1 hour.
Step 13 –Sprinkle the remaining bacon on top of the potato salad.
Step 14 –Serve.