Bacon & Blue Cheese Potato Salad
This bacon and blue cheese potato salad recipe combines bacon, blue cheese, and balsamic vinegar to create a salty, tangy, and sweet side dish that is perfect for BBQs and cookouts!
Originally published: June 29, 2017
Revised: May 23, 2019
PCSing is hard when you don’t know anyone at your new duty station. When we got to Hawaii, we knew we’d have friends arriving there shortly after we did. Here in Kentucky, that’s not happening.
Over the weekend, we got a chance to BBQ with some of the other MPs here at Ft Knox. With John working at HRC, it isn’t often that he interacts with the MPs here. And really, there haven’t been many interactions with anyone outside of work.
Because I had severe anxiety going into the whole thing, I mingled a little, but mostly played with the girls. We were in a big open backyard/alley area, so I didn’t want Ju wandering off too far. Side note: kids are the perfect solution for introverts at parties. Sorry, can’t talk, gotta chase my kid.
Once it started to get dark, we found ourselves chasing fire flies in the yard. It’s probably been 20+ years since I’ve seen a fire fly! One or two will pop up in our back yard now, but I suspect there were a lot more in this other yard since it was near a wooded area.
Anyway, for the BBQ, I brought along this potato salad that I absolutely LOVE making! I used to make it all the time in Hawaii when we’d go to cookouts. It’s an easy to make side dish that incorporates tasty flavors you don’t typically find in a potato salad. I tweaked a recipe I found online, to make this one slightly simpler.
My favorite types of recipes are the ones that you don’t actually have to measure the ingredients. While it’s not 100% the case with this recipe, the measurements don’t exactly have to be exact. Next, I’ll likely wing it, like I used to do, with a big squeeze of mayo, small squeeze of mustard, and a one-two pour of vinegar. NOT Sandra Lee style.
One thing to note with this recipe is that it calls for balsamic vinegar. Usually, I use the regular dark vinegar that I have sitting around in my pantry. However, the dark vinegar gives the potato salad an old unappetizing color. For the first intro, try using a white balsamic vinegar. After trying this salad once, people won’t care what color it is!
Bacon and Blue Cheese Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 5 pounds red potatoes
- 1 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 small red onion, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
- 5 ounces crumbled blue cheese
- 6-8 slices crispy bacon, crumbled
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. While the oven is heating, wash, dry, and cube the red potatoes to approximately 1" cubes. Toss potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil in a large bowl to coat evenly.
- Transfer potatoes to a single layer on a baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for an hour, or until golden with brown edges. Allow potatoes to cool to room temperature.
- While potatoes are cooling, combine mayo, vinegar, mustard, onion, parsley, blue cheese and bacon in a bowl.
- Lightly smash cooled potatoes, then pour dressing over potatoes. Mix well, to ensure all the potatoes are coated. If desired, garnish with additional blue cheese and bacon. Refrigerate and serve chilled.
Notes
Dark balsamic give the salad a dark color, but doesn't affect the flavor.
Adapted from Grilled Blue Cheese-and-Bacon Potato Salad
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 393Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 445mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 10g
