Three day weekends around our house are usually celebrated in a very predictable way: hammers, drywall dust, 5 trips to a home improvement store, and a cook-out… or three.

This weekend is no different. A laundry list of to-dos has set the theme for this weekend’s menu: quick & easy. There’s a baking dish in the fridge full of thawing hot dogs and ground beef, a big bowl of potato salad, and another pile of broccoli and zucchini from the garden. (Remember when I though our broccoli was done? Not even close!)

No three day weekend is complete without Bacon Ranch Potato Salad and Dad’s Baked Beans. The bacon-ranch combination is one of my favorites. It is to savory what peanut butter-chocolate is to sweet. I serve potato salad cold, dressed with a creamy ranch dressing, and topped with a big handful of crumbled bacon. No three day weekend is complete without it!

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Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

Crispy bacon and tangy homemade ranch make the perfect cook-out potato salad.

Ingredients

• 2 lb red potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup plain reduced-fat yogurt or sour cream
• small bundle of chives (~2-3 Tbsp chopped)
• small bundle of chopped parsley (~2-3 Tbsp chopped)
• 1 small green onion
• 1 clove minced garlic
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• Black pepper
• Pinch of salt
• 4 slices thick cut bacon, cooked to a crisp

Instructions

1. Cover potatoes with 1-2 inches of cold water and add 1 Tbsp salt.
2. Whisk mayo, yogurt, chives, parsley, green onion, garlic, lemon, and buttermilk together in a small bowl.
3. Salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Bring potatoes to a boil and reduce heat to medium, cooking until the potatoes are fork-tender (8-10 minutes).
5. Drain potatoes and return to the pot or transfer to a serving bowl. Let cool 5-10 minutes (potatoes should be very warm but not steaming hot.)
6. Pour half of the ranch dressing over the potatoes and toss.
7. Refrigerate about an hour, until cold
8. Toss with remaining dressing and crumbled bacon, and serve cold.

Notes

Yields: 6-8 servings

Confections of a Foodie Bride

Estimated time: 1 hour 30 minutes

We’ve submitted this recipe to the side dish week of Get Grillin’ with Family Fresh Cooking and Cookin’ Canuck, sponsored by Ile de France Cheese, Rösle, Emile Henry, Rouxbe and ManPans.