Dill potato salad is the perfect picnic side dish! Creamy yellow potatoes are the perfect base for this flavorful, lightened up version of a classic potato salad made with bacon, eggs, and plenty of fresh dill.
A picnic isn’t a picnic without the potato salad (and brownies). There’s just something about cold, buttery potatoes tossed with a whole lot of awesome that gets the party started. As a matter of fact, I can’t remember a family event with my extended family that didn’t include some form of Dill Potato Salad on the menu–it’s a family staple, for which I am glad. We all make it a little bit differently, and it’s kind of fun to see the spin that other people put on it. We have only one requirement: include plenty of fresh dill in the recipe.
Potato salad is one of those fluid recipes where adaptations are both encouraged and expected. Start with a base of really great potatoes, and then toss in whatever your heart is craving at the time. (Or if I’m being honest, whatever needs to purged from the refrigerator.) But whatever you do, do not forget the fresh dill! The dill brings a level of freshness to potato salad that is greatly missed in its absence. The dill takes what could come across the taste buds as heavy and gives it a little lift.
I like to further lighten up my Dill Potato Salad up a bit by using plain, low fat yogurt in the dressing. Let’s just call that me being more health conscious, and not attribute it to my ardent aversion to all things mayonnaise. Of course any calories saved with the yogurt go flying out the window with the addition of bacon and hard boiled eggs, but whatever. A little bacon and eggs are as mandatory to my Dill Potato Salad as the dill itself.
Comfortably Domestic Confession – my BFF Meg and I used to walk to a little market across the street from my high school and order fifty cents worth of potato salad for lunch each day and have a picnic on the front lawn of the school. They made the best potato salad in town. Everyone raved about it! And hey…it was a step up from the Butterfinger and Diet Slice lunches of my freshman year. Just keepin’ it real.
Obviously, I’ve always taken my health, my picnics, and my potato salad very seriously.
You should too. Whip up a batch of Dill Potato Salad for your next picnic.
Your friends will rave about it!
♥♥♥
Kirsten Kubert
Yields 6
Creamy yellow potatoes are the perfect base for this flavorful, lightened up version of a classic potato salad made with bacon, eggs, and plenty of fresh dill.
3 hr, 45 Prep Time
15 minCook Time
4 hrTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 C. celery, thinly sliced (leaves included)
- 1 small shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3-4 strips bacon, chopped
- 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
- 1 C. plain, low fat yogurt
- 2 Tbs. coarse grain mustard
- 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
- ½ tsp. kosher salt (or more, to taste)
- ¼ tsp. cracked black pepper (or more, to taste)
- ¼ C. fresh dill, chopped
Instructions
- Rinse and scrub the potatoes with warm water to clean. Remove any blemishes from the potatoes, and then place then into a large stock pot. (If not using gold potatoes, then peel the potatoes.) Fill the pot with cold water until the potatoes are completely submerges, with an additional inch of water above them. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Boil the potatoes until fork tender, checking frequently so as not to overcook. (Between 8 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.) Drain the potatoes in a large colander and allow them to cool slightly while preparing the dressing.
- Dump the yogurt into a medium sized bowl, along with the coarse grain mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk the ingredients to combine. Fold in the dill; set the dressing aside.
- Fry the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Reduce the heat slightly, and lightly sauté the shallots in the bacon drippings for one minute. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shallots to the plate with the bacon.
- If you haven’t already done so, chop the celery, shallot, crisp bacon, and hard boiled eggs. By now the potatoes should have cooled enough to handle. Chop the potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Toss the potatoes into a large bowl. Add the remaining chopped ingredients to the bowl of potatoes. Pour the dressing over everything in the bowl, gently stirring to coat and distribute the ingredients well.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the potato salad for two to three hours. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
Notes
Prep Time: 45 minutes (active), 3 hours (inactive), Cook Time: 10-15 minutes, Total Time: 4 hours
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