Mom's Bacon & Egg Potato Salad

5 from 13 votes

This is the best Potato Salad you have ever eaten! This recipe makes a huge batch (5 lbs.) so if you have a smaller crowd, cut the recipe down.

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 45 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 195kcal

Author Beth Neels

Cost $4

Equipment

saucepans
serving bowls
wooden spoons

Ingredients

5 pounds clean skinned potatoes
8 slices bacon, Reserve 1-2 tablespoons Bacon grease after cooking.
6 eggs, hard boiled
1 1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped or grated carrot
3/4 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, fresh
1 tablespoon chopped dill, fresh
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 tablespoon Black Pepper
2 tablespoons salt, divided
1½-2 cups mayonnaise

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Wash potatoes. Add them to a large pot and cover with cold water. Add 1 Tbsp. salt. Cook over high heat until boiling, then turn down to a fast simmer. Cook until tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Or make Instant pot boiled potatoes. Drain potatoes, place them in a bowl to cool. Once they are about room temperature, place them in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F. Place the bacon in a single layer on broiler pan. Bake for 25 minutes until nice and crispy. Or make air fryer bacon. Allow to cool. Once cool, cut or crumble bacon into bits. Reserve 1-2 tablespoons of the bacon grease to add to the mayonnaise.
Place eggs in a small saucepan. Cover them with cold water and then cover with lid. Bring to a boil over high heat. When they come to a boil, immediately remove them from heat and allow them to sit covered for 10 minutes for large eggs. After 10 minutes, without draining them, add cold water until the pan has only cold water in it. Let them sit in the cold water until cool enough to peel.
Peel eggs. Chop eggs into bite sized pieces, leaving a couple to cut in wedges for garnish.
While the potatoes, bacon and eggs are cooking, I cut up my vegetables and herbs. This can all be done the day before you need to serve the salad. Just put the cut veggies and herbs in a storage container and refrigerate until you are ready to put it together.
Once everything cool, assemble the salad. Mix the bacon grease with the mayonnaise. (Start with 1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise and add more if you like it wetter.) Place all of the ingredients except eggs in a very large bowl. Mix thoroughly. Adjust spices to taste.
Add eggs. Lightly toss in chopped eggs.
Garnish with eggs wedges and chopped fresh parsley.
Feeds a large crowd! 25-35 people, at least. Great for leftovers for about 3-4 days.

Notes

Let the potatoes thoroughly cool before building salad, or they will soak up the mayonnaise.

Do not freeze.

Leftovers should be refrigerated promptly. Leftovers can be refrigerated 4-5 days. (This time may be shortened if the salad was kept out of the refrigerator too long on hot summer days. Refrigerate promptly after serving.)

PRO TIPS

Wash thick skinned potatoes well. They are easier to peel after cooking. The skin slips right off.
If you’re using thick skinned potatoes it is best to peel them, before or after cooking.
Barely cover potatoes with water to speed up the cooking process.
Cook potatoes on your stovetop or in your instant pot.
When using thin skinned potatoes, leave the skins to increase the fiber and nutrients of the potatoes.
Don’t overcook potatoes or they will become mushy.
Use fresh potatoes, older potatoes have a tendency to become mushy and contain more starch.
Cook bacon in oven, in frying pan or make air fryer bacon. Be sure to reserve a tablespoon of bacon grease.
Stir the salad together before adding the chopped eggs. They have a tendency to break up with excessive mixing. The salad will still taste good, but there will be less visible chunks of egg.
If you having a large party, you can double this recipe. For smaller crowds, decrease the recipe accordingly. As a general rule. figure about 5 servings per pound / .5 kg of potatoes.

Can you make this salad ahead of your party?

Yes. You absolutely can. This salad can be made the day before your party and still be delicious. You can also cook cut up the vegetables, potatoes and bacon a day ahead and store them separately.

Reserve the tablespoon of bacon grease. Return that to the microwave for about 30 seconds to return it to a liquid state. Let it cool slightly and add it to the mayonnaise the day you serve the salad. Then the day of your party, just add the ingredients, according to the below instructions and mix.

Occasionally the potatoes will soak up a lot of the mayonnaise and you may have to add a bit more the day you serve it.

Nutrition