Kind of a Big Dill Potato Salad

This potato salad recipe is kind of a big dill. Remember your granny’s old fashioned potato salad? This is that–but all dressed up for a night out. You could call this dill potato salad fancy. But fancy in the sense of Reba McEntire’s 90s hit, Fancy. You know which song I’m talking about. That poor, coming of age country girl who slides into that satin dancin’ dress to “start movin’ uptown” as her mama put it.

Let’s just say that my recipe is a southern potato salad favorite transformed into a fancy, red-velvet lady with all the adornments: petite red potatoes, premium dill pickles, bacon, eggs, and even some bacon grease and pickle juice. Fancy enough to take to a potluck. And she won’t let you down.

Kind of a Big Dill Potato Salad

 

fancy.

This dill pickle potato salad is nice and savory (not sweet at all) because I use Claussen dill pickles (the best!) rather than bread and butter pickles or sweet relish. In addition to the delicious dills, the red onions and spicy brown mustard provide a nice sharpness that enhances the more traditional potato salad flavors you get from the mayonnaise and eggs. Add bacon and bacon grease, and you’ve got a charmer on your hands.

Here’s your step-by-step tutorial for how to make this Kind of a Big Dill Potato Salad:

 

Go ahead and pop several strips of bacon into the oven (according to the instructions on the package) while you prep the other potato salad ingredients. When the bacon is crispy, allow to cool on paper towels.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of that sinful bacon grease. You’ll use it later. (We’re going all out.)

Meanwhile, you can start washing and quartering 2 pounds of petite red potatoes. If you’re using larger potatoes, just cut them into 1 inch pieces.

Bring the potatoes to a boil in a large pot over high heat.

At this point, you can gently add your four eggs to the boiling water along with the potatoes.  Turn your heat down to medium-high, and remove the eggs after 10 minutes.

Your potatoes may need a few more minutes. When you can easily break apart the potatoes with a fork, they’re ready. Remove from heat and drain.

Roughly chop 3/4 cup of baby dill pickles. I don’t use any other brand than Claussen dill pickles because they are the best you can find in the grocery store. Claussen pickles are always chilled, so they will be stored in the refrigerated section of your grocery store–usually near the sauerkraut or eggs.

Now dice up some red onion (no more than 1/2 cup).

At this point, you can chop up your crispy bacon and stir together all of your prepped ingredients, plus the mayo, spicy brown mustard, seasoned salt, and black pepper. Don’t forget to add your two secret ingredients that will really amp up the flavor–bacon grease and pickle juice!

Don’t be afraid to really stir this baby up to blend everything together. In fact, you probably want to mash up some of the potatoes with a fork so you have some potatoes that are quarters while others are mashed and creamy.

Garnish with extra dill pickles and bacon. You can serve it right away at room temperature or chill overnight and serve cold. Enjoy!

Here’s the complete, printable recipe:

 

This recipe is linked up with other saucy bloggers at Weekend Potluck and Foodie Friends Friday!