Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Bake and cube the potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and bake the russet potatoes on a sheet pan for 40 minutes, until tender when pierced. Let them cool completely, about 1 hour, so they cube cleanly without steaming the salad.
- Once cooled, cut the baked potatoes into cubes and leave the skin on for extra texture.
Crisp the bacon
- Cook the bacon until crispy, then drain and crumble it into bite-size pieces.
Mix the salad
- In a large bowl, combine the cubed potatoes, crumbled bacon, and shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
- In a separate bowl, mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, green onions, fresh chives, salt, and pepper.
- Gently fold the dressing into the potato mixture until evenly coated, taking care not to break up the cubes.
Chill and serve
- Refrigerate the loaded potato salad for at least 1 hour before serving for the flavors to meld and the texture to set.
Notes
For cleaner cubes, bake the potatoes ahead and cool them uncovered so the outsides don’t stay steamy. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freezing is not recommended because the sour-cream mixture can separate. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat cheddar and light sour cream/mayonnaise while keeping the same mixing and chilling steps.