Potato salad has been a side dish staple in America for many years. The first reported mention of potato salad was in the 16th century in the notes of a famous Chicago chef, Arnold Shircliffe, according to The Food Timeline. Interestingly, the original potato salad recipes called for French dressing as a main ingredient. It wasn't until the 1940's that mayonnaise became the main dressing for potato salad.
Although this recipe calls for bacon, it differs from classic German potato salad. German-style potato salad, also known as warm potato salad, consists of warmed vinegar and omits the mayonnaise.
Potato salad can be cooked ahead of time and chilled in the refrigerator for up to two days before serving. This is a base recipe. Feel free to add ingredients such as roasted peppers or chopped celery to taste.
Potato Salad with Bacon Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 large potatoes
- 4 eggs
- 1 large onion
- 1/3 - ½ cup of chopped pickles
- 1 ½ cups mayonnaise
- 2 Tb mustard
- ½ tsp sugar
- 4 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
- salt, pepper, and paprika to taste
Directions
- Leave the skins on the potatoes and slice them in half.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, and place the potatoes and onions in the boiling water. Bring them to a boil, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Let the eggs and potatoes cool almost completely and cut them into chunks.
- Mix the remaining ingredients into the potatoes and mix thoroughly.
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Potato Salad Variations
Try using French dressing instead of mayonnaise to create a historical tangy sweet potato salad. Use imitation bacon sprinkles to create a vegetarian version of this potato salad. Dill, basil, or other fresh herbs are a flavorful accompaniment.
Chopped garden veggies make interesting combinations as well. Zucchini, bell peppers, cucumbers, yellow squash, and fresh spinach can all be used in this recipe. If large amounts of veggies are added, simply add a little more mayonnaise to maintain the smooth consistency.
To reduce the fat content, replace the bacon with turkey bacon and use low-fat mayonnaise. Alternatively, you can substitute ½ of the mayo for non-fat sour cream. Experiment with flavor and consistency.
To make a beautiful potato salad, try using a variety of colorful potatoes. Many varieties of potatoes are becoming more popular in stores. Try making an American potato salad using regular white baking potatoes, red fleshed potatoes, and blue fleshed potatoes. Yellow potatoes make a bright and tasty choice, as well.
“My idea of heaven is a great big baked potato and someone to share it with.” – Oprah Winfrey
More more tasty recipes, try Homemade Biscuits Recipe, Fried Apple Mini Pies with Sweet Dust, and Herb Crusted Zucchini Parmesean Bake.
Dianna Griffis - Dianna, better known as Sunny, could write before she could walk. She knew professional writing would be her lifeline from a very early ...
