My favourite non-salad salad.
Ohhhhhhh man… This Warm Potato Bacon Salad… Roasted potatoes tossed with thick-cut salty bacon, peppery green arugula and topped with a creamy parmesan dressing. It begs the question…
Is a salad still a salad if it’s swimming in a rich, creamy dressing loaded with sour cream, mayo and parmesan? How about if you then add in a whole bunch of thick, salty bacon? Also, do we even care? That’s correct. No we don’t.
As much as I LOVE potato salad in the summertime along with a good grilled meal or a picnic in the park, it doesn’t quite hit right for me in the colder months. Enter this delicious little dish. Warm potato salad. It’s just as satisfying as the picnic version but served warm and loaded with bacon. It is crazy good.
I like to serve this with some baked salmon or roasted chicken, and sometimes I just load it up in a bowl and call it a complete meal all. on its own. You’ll understand when you make it.
Scroll further if you’re looking for recipe tips, substitutions, questions, etc. and details on how to make it, but if you want to get straight to it, here’s my recipe-ish…
Warm Potato Bacon Salad
Ingredients
For the Potatoes:
- 2 1/2 lbs red potatoes chopped
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
For the Salad:
- 1/2 lb bacon chopped into large pieces, cooked
- 4 green onions thinly sliced
- 2 cups arugula
For the Dressing
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
- 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp grainy mustard
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- Pinch cayenne
Instructions
Make the Potatoes:
- In a baking dish toss the potatoes, garlic, oil and a big pinch of salt together and roast at 425 for about 45 minutes.
Make the Dressing:
- Combine the mayo, sour cream, parmesan cheese, vinegar, mustard, smoked paprika and cayenne in a bowl and whisk well until combined and smooth.
Make the salad:
- In a large bowl toss the cooked potatoes with the dressing.
- Mix in the arugula, bacon and green onion.
- Toss well and serve.
Warm Potato Bacon Salad Recipe ingredients, tips, substitutions:
Potatoes – I use red skinned potatoes but use whatever your favourite variety is. You can even add in a few sweet potatoes for a twist.
Bacon – thick cut bacon is preferable, but not necessary. Regular cut or even turkey bacon work too.
Warm Potato Bacon Salad Recipe Variations:
- Extra Veg Version – add in some spinach or kale, red peppers (roasted are good), artichokes, green beans, peas or any other veg you think sounds good.
- Vegetarian Version – instead of the bacon add in some thinly cut, seared smoked tofu. Or add in some black beans or chickpeas.
- Spicy Version – add a good pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the dressing.
Warm Potato Bacon Salad recipe, how to make it…
I like to get the potatoes started and then make everything else while they cook. Roast the potoatoes with some garlic, olive oil and salt for about 45 minutes.
While the potatoes roast cook your bacon and make the dressing by whisking together mayo, sour cream, parmesan cheese, white wine vinegar, grainy mustard, smoked paprika and a little cayenne.
Once the potatoes are cooked, and while they’re still warm, toss them with the dressing. Then add in the bacon, arugula and green onion and toss again. Dig in!
looking for more fun and delicious salad recipes? try these…
- Arugula Pear Salad with Hazelnuts & Brown Butter Vinaigrette
- Kale Apple Salad with Spicy Maple Nuts & Bacon
- Summer Berry Salad with Fried Brie Bites
- Spinach Arugula Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts
- Broccoli Crunch Salad with Candied Bacon & Cashews
Let me know what you think below and if you like this Warm Potato Bacon Salad Recipe then I know you’ll love my Cauliflower Leek Potato Soup Recipe. It’s a true bowl of coziness.
