Ultimate Loaded Baked Potato Salad

With grilling season and summer gatherings right around the corner, I thought I'd share my recipe for one killer of a summertime side dish. Potato salad is pretty much a staple at most warm-weather get-togethers. {I actually love potato salad so much that I make it two or three times a month from spring until fall.} I've taken the traditional potato salad and given it one heck of a make-over. It's quite the upgrade actually. Here, we've, basically, got the working parts of a potluck favorite combined with everything we all love about a loaded baked potato.

The result of this marriage is something pretty darn amazing. I start with baking the potatoes instead of boiling them. Once removed from the oven and cut into chunks, the potatoes then get a good dousing of vinegar while they are still warm. (I use the vinegar trick for any potato salad recipe that I make. I think I learned it from watching Emeril years ago. He said that he considers potatoes "most vulnerable" while they are still hot and more easily "accepting" of the vinegar.)

For the dressing, a little sour cream is incorporated in with the mayo for the perfect tangy zip and to mimic those flavors found in loaded baked potatoes. Crispy bacon, lots of scallions (or chives) and shredded cheese get folded in for the perfect "bang" in this firecracker of a potato salad.

Yields 8 - 10 servings.

Ingredients:

4 pounds baking potatoes, unpeeled and scrubbed
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 pound bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1/2 cup chopped scallions/chives
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place potatoes onto a baking sheet, prick each potato a few times with a fork and bake for about one hour (or until potatoes are cooked through). Remove from oven. Allow to cool slightly until able to handle. Remove peels from potatoes. Cut potatoes into one-inch cubes. Place into a large mixing bowl. Douse vinegar onto potatoes while gently tossing to coat. Sprinkle in 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, dill weed, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl. Pour dressing over cooled potatoes. Gently stir to coat. Fold in bacon, scallions and cheese ... reserving a small amount of each for garnish, if desired.

Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that the crispy bacon can tend to get a little soft and rubbery if it is added too far in advance to the potato salad. Hold off adding in the bacon until shortly before service so that it maintains its crispness and crunch, if desired.