Southwest Potato Salad

This southwest potato salad has it all! Cheddar cheese, green onion, crispy bacon and poblano in southwest dressing. Scrumptious!

How do you plan to spend your Memorial Day? I hope to be sitting outside, cold beverage in my hand, surrounded with a plethora of delicious food, my family and that’s it.

One year I spent it outside in a tank top and shorts, sitting in a lawn chair reading a good book FOR HOURS and ended up fried to a crisp, like I was my own individual heat source and even the wind blowing hurt my poor skin.  It was an overcast day and I didn’t feel a thing until about 30 minutes after I was actually out of the sun. Not my brightest moment in life. So this year I’ll be in the shade.

But one thing is for sure, we will be grilling. And this potato salad is definitely on the menu.

First, place three to four pounds of redskin potatoes into a giant colander. Then gently scrubbed and rinse them clean.

Next, line them up onto a rimmed sheet pan and bake in a 375° oven to bake for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile start on the bacon.

Cube four strips of slab applewood bacon into half-inch pieces.

Then throw the bacon into a cold pan, heat over medium and cook until crispy, stirring every so often.

Next, remove the crispy bacon pieces to drain on a paper-towel lined plate.

Also char a poblano pepper (like I did here) and popped it into a bowl, covered it up with plastic wrap and let it chill for 10 minutes or so.

Next, remove the poblano from the bowl and place it onto a cutting board. Scrap off the skin, make an incision on one side, and then remove the seeds and ribs. Slice it into strip and then diced it up.

Next just slice up a few, 3-4 green onions…

And then grate 4 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese.

The potatoes are done when you pierce them with a knife and it glides through.

Then, allow the potatoes cool completely.

Next, for the potato salad dressing; in a bowl combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise and a 1/2 cup of sour cream.

Measure and add in one teaspoon of adobo seasoning…

…1/2 teaspoon of paprika…

…1/2 teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper…

…the juice of half a lemon…

…and two tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley. You of course can use cilantro, I’d just use only a tablespoon chopped.

Whisk all those together, taste and season with a pinch or two of kosher salt and set off to the side.

Halve, quarter or sixth { 😉 } the cooled redskin potatoes.

Throw the potatoes into a bowl. At this point, I’m already feeling like I selected the wrong bowl.

Pour the dressing right on over top of those redskins.

Next add in the diced poblano…

…crispy bacon…

…and then the sliced green onion.

However, I don’t add the cheddar jusssst yet because I don’t want it to break up too much when I stir it.

Give it a stir to combine all those ingredients in that amazing dressing.

Lastly, go on and add in the grated sharp cheddar cheese…

…and carefully toss to combine.

Serve. Inhale. Go back for more.

My favorite grilling side dish has always been potato salad. Whether it’s a classic mustard potato salad with hard-boiled egg, bacon ranch potato salad, grilled potato salad with bacon Dijon dressing.

Baking the potatoes insures the skins to stay intact which adds color and the nutrients that are found in potato skins. The smoky bacon, poblano and that adobo dressing is killer, in a good way of course.

Enjoy! And if you give this Southwest Potato Salad recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

My cookbook Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy is now available! CLICK HERE for details and THANK YOU in advance!

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Yield: 10 servings

Southwest Potato Salad

Baked redskin potatoes tossed with roasted poblano, green onions, cheddar cheese, bacon and a southwest dressing!

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 40 mins

Total Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 pounds redskin potatoes
• 4 slices applewood slab bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and cooked until crispy
• 1 poblano pepper
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning, see notes
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• kosher salt, to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Equipment

• Simply Scratch: 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy

Instructions 

• Preheat your oven to 375°. Rinse and gently scrub 3-4 pounds of redskin potatoes. Place the cleaned potatoes onto a rimmed sheet pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife pierces easily, meeting zero resistance. Allow the potatoes to cool completely before dicing into bite-size pieces.
• Meanwhile, grill the poblano over medium-high heat until the skin is charred and blistered. Place into a bowl and immediately cover with plastic wrap. Keep the charred pepper covered in the bowl for 10-15 minutes before removing the skin, seeds and ribs. Dice the poblano and set it off to the side.
• Add the diced bacon to a cool pan and heat over medium heat. Cook until crispy {stirring occasionally} until crispy. Then with a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool. Set off to the side.
• Next, slice up three to four green onions {depending on size}, grate up 4 ounces of sharp cheddar and prepare the dressing for the potato salad.
• For the dressing; in a bowl combine a 1/2 cup of both mayonnaise and sour cream. Add in a teaspoon of adobo seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika and coarse ground black pepper. Squeeze in the juice from half a lemon and add in the two tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley. Stir, taste and season with kosher salt.
• Place the cooled quartered potatoes into a large bowl and add in the dressing, poblano, bacon and green onions. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add in the grated cheddar and gently mix to combine. Taste one last time and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
• Chill until ready to serve.

Notes

You can find my recipe for adobo seasoning in my cookbook, or use store-bought.

Serving: 1g, Calories: 258kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 200mg, Potassium: 702mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 304IU, Vitamin C: 24mg, Calcium: 74mg, Iron: 1mg

Author: Laurie McNamara

Course: Salads, Side Dishes

Cuisine: American

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