Bacon And Egg Ranch Potato Salad Recipe

Potato salad is a classic side dish, often the star of any potluck or picnic, and a versatile lunch or dinner pairing. The most common potato salad is one made with mayo and mustard, with super-soft potatoes and a hint of crunchy veg. What's typically missing from the recipe, though, might also be America's most classic condiment: ranch dressing — a creamy, buttermilk-infused herb sauce used on everything from salads to pizza. Why not combine these two favorites into one iconic dish?

In this recipe developed by Michelle McGlinn, boiled and steamed potatoes are combined with buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, and ranch seasonings to make a rich yet balanced potato salad. And if that isn't enough, crispy bacon bits and savory hard-boiled eggs are added to the mix for the ultimate all-American side dish. It's fresh, smooth, tangy, and perfect for pairing with anything from summer barbecues to autumn cookouts; your ranch-loving friends will thank you.

As you might've guessed, you'll need bacon, eggs, and potatoes to start this potato salad recipe. Waxy spuds like red potatoes are the best for potato salad because they stay firm after boiling (whereas starchy russets turn into mashed potatoes). You can also use gold potatoes, which are a little creamier. 

From there, you'll need mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, scallions, dill, parsley, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. While you can throw the fresh herbs into a food processor to save chopping time, you can also swap them for dried herbs (omitting the scallions, in that case).

Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with water.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes.

Drain the water, then return potatoes to the pot and cover. Let steam for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place eggs in a saucepan and cover with water (by 1 inch over the top of the eggs).

Bring water to a boil over medium heat.

Remove saucepan from heat and cover. Let eggs steam for 10-12 minutes.

Remove eggs from the water and immediately plunge into an ice bath. Allow to cool completely.

Once potatoes are cool to the touch, peel and chop them into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl.

Once eggs have cooled, peel and chop them, then set aside.

Place a skillet over medium heat and add bacon pieces.

Cook until crispy, about 5-7 minutes, then drain on paper towels.

Add chopped eggs and bacon to the bowl of potatoes.

Stir in all the remaining ingredients, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Hard-boiled eggs can be tricky because there's no way to know what the inside of the egg looks like before cracking it open. If you're hesitant to make the eggs in this potato salad for fear of runny yolks, we have a few tips to guide you in the right direction. In our recipe, we advise a simple steaming method: Cold eggs get covered with water, brought to a boil, then steamed until cooked through. 

Following this method as written is fairly foolproof, but if you're still opening sticky, runny eggs, consider a few things, like the freshness of your egg. Believe it or not, a cheaper, older egg is more likely to boil perfectly than the brown egg you just bought yesterday. If possible, use an egg that's been sitting in your fridge for a while for easier peeling. Use it directly from the fridge, too, instead of letting it come to room temperature. This ensures that the eggs will cook evenly, as the steaming method was designed for cold eggs. 

Finally, don't forget to set a timer and prepare an ice bath — perfectly cooked yolks require precision, and cooling the eggs immediately after steaming is a crucial step to stop the yolks from overcooking. And at the end of the day, if the eggs aren't peeling perfectly? Don't sweat it, they'll be chopped and mixed into the salad anyway.

This recipe requires a lot of prep that can be done simultaneously, but it would require half the pots and pans in your kitchen to be used at one time — and when you're preparing for a party, barbecue, or potluck, destroying the kitchen is the last thing you want to do. Luckily, all of the prep work (and even the entire salad) can be made ahead of time. 

The potatoes can be boiled, steamed, peeled, and chopped 2-3 days in advance, and the eggs can be boiled, steamed, cooled, and left in their shells for up to a week (if you peel them, they'll only last 2-3 days). The cooked bacon pieces, also, can be cooked and stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days — just be sure to drain the grease before storing. You can also prepare the mixed potato salad 2-3 days ahead of time and store it in an airtight container until ready to serve. In fact, this allows the flavors to meld together even better. For the best results, remove the potato salad from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving to allow it to come to room temperature.