The Return of The Feral Housewife! Leigh's Baked Potato Salad

     I have made many potato salads in my life. I still make my Great Grandmother's recipe a lot, I make a spicy deviled potato salad, a potato salad with kielbasa sausage, and for our son's 21st birthday I made an authentic German potato salad, however, this one has been my favorite. I once had a twice baked potato casserole and thought " This would make a great potato salad", so I gave it a go. We all loved it and it has since been my go to. I have since lightened it up and made a few healthier choices but it is still delicious. Summer is definitely here, it is cookout season and a good potato salad is always appreciated. So I thought I would share this with you:

Step one is to bake your potatoes, of course. I use red potatoes and leave the skin on for this, but you can use your favorite baking potato. I drizzle them with olive oil or your favorite heart healthy oil, and just salt and pepper to taste. *Note, if you season your potatoes well here, you won't need added salt later.*

Then you toss the cooled potatoes in a bowl with 1 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup mayo. You can use your judgement here. I use low fat and sometimes fat free sour cream and an olive oil mayo. You could absolutely use full fat or even a plain Greek yogurt, and adjust your mayo levels. I prefer the sour cream more, it is a baked potato after all. 

BACON! A good baked potato has to have bacon, I use a lower salt, lower fat bacon. And yes, you can use the low fat pre-cooked or even bagged kind. Shh, it will be our secret. There are no rules to a good baked potato. Also at this stage we will add a bunch of chopped scallions. (also called spring onions or green onions)

CHEESE! Again, a good tater has to have cheese. I usually use low fat cheddar. 8 ounces or so, chopped into chunks.

Don't forget to pay the cheese tax to the pup.

After paying the cheese tax to the puppy, it is ready to toss together one more time. Then needs a sprinkle of chives on top for garnish. Then just rest in the fridge until time to serve. This goes great with all your summer favorites. This weekend it is going with BBQ chicken! 

Recipe:

5 lbs red skin potatoes

drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayo

8 oz cheddar cheese, chopped into small pieces

1/2 or so of bacon, cooked and chopped fine

1 bunch of scallions

chives to garnish

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Wash and chop your potatoes into salad cube size. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on 2 foil lined cookie sheets and bake for about 45 minutes, or until tender, rotating and alternating oven racks half way through. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Place potatoes in a big salad bowl and toss in 1 cup of sour cream and 1/2 cup mayo. Once coated, add your chopped bacon and scallions. Toss again, gently. Add chopped cheese and taste to see if more salt and pepper is needed. If seasoning is good, sprinkle with your chives and set in the fridge to rest a few hours or over night. 

ENJOY,

Leigh

PS If you try it, let me know what you think below.