Hot Potato Salad with Bacon
A Hot Potato Salad always warms the heart. It is a favorite comfort food that will never go out of style.
Potato is a staple ingredients that has been around for centuries. It popular and is one of the best ingredients for a delicious side dish. Here is a recipe that is quite delicious and may be simple if you choose to add my secret ingredient, Lemon Basil Pesto Sauce. This dish is perfect during any season.
A few important points about the recipe
When reading certain recipes, it is not necessary to always use the same ingredients to achieve the same taste. As taste matters for many, a variation may also give a winning recipe. The recipe is from one of my cookbooks. It lists white wine vinegar as one of the main ingredients and quite frankly as long as you are comfortable with adding another type of vinegar, why not?

My version has champagne vinegar and it is my preferred choice because champagne vinegar is light and flavorful. Because Dijon mustard is added to the recipe, the acid taste is perfectly balanced. With the addition of crispy bacon scallions, and parsley, the vinegar binds all the flavors together making this dish the ultimate Hot Potato Salad for your gatherings this summer.
But wait, I recently started adding lemon basil pesto sauce to my version of Hot Potato Salad and it tastes so much better than the original version. All the flavors go so well together that I am astonished by the results. It is a winner in my book and hope it will be yours too.
The ingredients you will need to make the Hot Potato Salad with Bacon
- Rashers Bacon rind removed: thin slices of bacon. Buy thin slices to make it easier. When the bacon is cooked it will be crumbled and added to the potato salad. This will create a salty and crunchy taste.
- Small waxy Red Potatoes unpeeled: these are better because they will cook much faster and contain more flavor and are creamier for this recipe.
- Scallions: a fresh herb that adds a subtle taste of onion
- Fresh Parsley: a popular herb that pratically goes will with most vegetables.

For the Dressing
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: a good brand makes a huge difference in taste and flavor.
- Dijon Mustard: this adds a delicious zing taste that we all love.
- Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar: choose whichever you prefer
- Lemon Pesto Sauce store-bought, optional: this ingredient is optional because it is not necessary. It is used for flavor.
- Dash of sugar optional: The sugar will stabalize the taste of the pesto and the mustard.
How to make the recipe
- Cook the bacon under a hot grill until crisp. Chop into small pieces.
- Steam or boil the potatoes for 10 – 15 minutes, or until just tender (pierce with the point of a small sharp knife – if the potato comes away easily it is ready). Don’t let the skins break away. Drain and cool slightly.
- For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together in a jug.
- Cut the potatoes in quarters and place in a bowl with half the bacon, scallions, parsley, and some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour in half the dressing and toss to coat the potatoes thoroughly. Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with the remaining dressing and sprinkle the remaining bacon over the top.
Notes and Tips
- Updated from 1001 Essential Recipes, Bay Books
- The cooking time will depend on the size of the potatoes. The potatoes can be diced instead of quartered if you prefer.
- You can also use Artichoke Lemon Basil instead of Lemon Basil Pesto.
- Be adventurous when cooking!
Enjoy other delicious Potato Salad as your favorite side dish for any season
Hot Potato Salad with Bacon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 rashers bacon rind removed
- 3 pounds small waxy red potatoes unpeeled
- 4 scallions sliced
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
For the Dressing
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Limoncello Pesto Sauce store-bought, optional
- Dash of sugar optional
Instructions
- Cook the bacon under a hot grill until crisp. Chop into small pieces.
- Steam or boil the potatoes for 10 – 15 minutes, or until just tender (pierce with the point of a small sharp knife – if the potato comes away easily it is ready). Don’t let the skins break away. Drain and cool slightly.
- For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together in a jug.
- Cut the potatoes in quarters and place in a bowl with half the bacon, scallions, parsley, and some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour in half the dressing and toss to coat the potatoes thoroughly. Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with the remaining dressing and sprinkle the remaining bacon over the top.
Notes
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.
Corn Allergy:
Always choose ingredients without corn or corn derivatives.
Originally published June 8, 2015. Revised and updated.