Creamy Ranch Potato Salad Recipe

If you are looking for a side that's tasty, easy to make, and pairs perfectly with all sorts of foods, then you are definitely looking in the right place with this creamy ranch potato salad. "This [dish] is perfect for a [summer] BBQ! [It's] delicious," says chef, recipe developer, and private practice registered dietician Kristen Carli of Camelback Nutrition & Wellness, adding, "It would also be great for a summer picnic or potluck."

Want a few specific pairing ideas? You can serve this potato salad with brisket or ribs, baked beans or cornbread, a green salad, a sandwich, a hotdog or burger, sausages, grilled chicken ... and on the list goes. And as its flavors only mingle and improve with a few hours resting in the fridge. It's a great side to prepare ahead of a large gathering when you'll want to minimize the work to be done or when you need to bring a dish along to a friend's picnic or family member's barbecue.

Carli's take on potato salad is also a great dish for those who may not have the most experience in the kitchen. She notes, "This is fairly easy. As long as you can cook bacon, you can make this dish." And you can cook bacon! So let's get cooking ASAP.

To make a batch of this potato salad that will yield four generous servings, you'll need about 2 ½ pounds of red potatoes, washed, scrubbed, and chopped (leave the skins on, though), 1 cup each of sour cream and mayonnaise, a package of ranch dressing mix, a cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, six large slices of bacon, and three large green onions, which you will slice thinly.

Want to make a larger batch? By all means go for it — you can simply scale up this recipe up by proportionally increasing each of the ingredients.

Red potatoes are ideal for this recipe, but of course you can use other types as well. If you have to use Russet potatoes, go ahead and peel all of the skin off. With red potatoes (or Yukon gold), just rinse and scrub them and leave the skins on, then dice the potatoes into bite-sized pieces.

Now, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and, once it's at a rolling boil, carefully add the potatoes. Let them cook at a boil for 15 minutes, then drain the potatoes, and set them aside for later.

Next up, it's time to cook the bacon. Bacon cooks well in a nonstick skillet or a lightly oiled pan as the bacon fat rather creates its own cooking grease. Heat a large skillet on the stove, and add the strips of bacon (or rashers, to use the precise term), and cook them, flipping once every minute or so, until the bacon is well-cooked and crispy. Then, remove it to a paper towel-lined plate to cool and drip off excess grease.

Once the bacon has cooled, chop it up into small bits, and set those aside. Not a fan of hot bacon grease popping all over the place? You can cook bacon in the microwave, too. Place the strips on a plate between paper towels, and cook them on high in one-minute increments, flipping once, until it has reached the desired crispiness.

In a medium bowl, add the sour cream, mayo, and the ranch dressing mix and stir to combine all of these well. Next, in a large bowl, add the cooked potatoes, the shredded cheese, the crumbled bacon, the sliced green onions, and finally the mixed ranch dip, and stir to combine everything well.

And that's it! Now it's time to let the potato salad chill some, then it will be time to enjoy. "This keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days," says Carli. Well, that's if there is any left to store.

And one more note: "You can omit the bacon to make this dish vegetarian. If you want to add plant-based protein, this would be delicious with kidney beans added," Carli suggests.