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.

Get Ready for Grilling Seasoning: 3 Homemade Seasoning Blends

Spring has sprung. Grilling season is just around the corner and I couldn't be more thrilled. I love to grill just about anything - steak, chicken, burgers, fish and even veggies. For my monthly contributor Kitchen Made Simple  post on Teal and Lime, I shared three super simple homemade seasoning blends that I use often throughout grilling season.

 

 

My Basic Grill Seasoning Blend works perfectly on most any meat, fish or veggies. My Seasoning Blend for Fajitas is a favorite in our household for grilled skirt steak, chicken or shrimp that can be used in fajitas, taco salads or Mexican rice bowls. (It's, also, the spice blend that I used in a recent post here on Joyously Domestic, Slow Cooker Kickin' Mexican Pulled Pork.) Lastly, my Seafood Seasoning Blend is fabulous on fish or shrimp.