This recipe for potato salad with bacon and parsley trades the mayo for a lighter mustard sauce, for all the flavor in a lighter, brighter version!
So, I should start this discussion of potato salad with bacon and parsley by admitting that I am not the world’s biggest potato salad fan. Frankly, if I am going to spend my carbs on a side dish, I like it to involve pasta or rice or even corn.
And those potato salads with sour cream and mayo — well, they are just a little heavy for me. But this potato salad is a whole different deal. Adorable baby potatoes, fresh parsley and, of course, BACON.
Here’s how you make potato salad with bacon and parsley!
You obviously need a nice big bowl of these…
…and you can use all red, all yellow or a mixture. Just try for the smallest ones you can find, for nice bite-sized potato salad wonderfulness.
Second, you need fresh chopped parsley, and this is the time of year when my herb garden starts taking over the world. They are the Herbs That Ate Manhattan. Okay, the Herbs That Ate Northern New Jersey. Here is the parsley in its natural habitat, pre-chopping:
This used to be not such an issue when we had Wilbur.
Wilbur was our guinea pig, and he didn’t have a lot of personality — he was pretty much a baked potato with fur — but man, he loved a good plate of basil and parsley, and could always be counted on to chow it down.
Wilbur broke all world records for life expectancy, but is now chomping herbs in guinea pig heaven. We miss the old guy, actually more than I thought we would. Good old Wilbur.
But I digress. Last but not least, this potato salad also includes bacon, and need I say more about THAT?
This recipe for potato salad with bacon and parsley trades the mayo for a lighter mustard sauce, for all the flavor in a lighter, brighter version! You start by cooking up the potatoes in salted water until they are just tender, and while that is happening you cook up some chopped bacon until it is crispy. Then add the bacon drippings to some mustard, vinegar and a little olive oil to make a light, flavorful dressing.
Drizzle the dressing over the potatoes, add the bacon and the parsley…and you’re done! The longest part of this is the 1o or so minutes you spend boiling the potatoes — it really couldn’t be easier.
So here you go, a recipe for a potato salad that I actually LIKE. (Because I know you were worrying about that).
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Potato Salad with Bacon and Parsley
Prep Time: 15 minutes- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Category: Side Dish
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American
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This recipe for potato salad with bacon and parsley trades the mayo for a lighter mustard sauce, for all the flavor in a lighter, brighter version!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes, cut in halves or quarters
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
- 4 slices bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Put the potatoes in a pot with water to cover and one teaspoon salt and simmer until tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain and run under cold water, then transfer to a mixing bowl.
- While potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, 6-8 minutes. Drain on paper towels, saving the drippings.
- Mix the reserved drippings, oil, vinegar and mustard with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Drizzle over potatoes and toss. Add bacon and parsley and toss again. Realize that you DO like potato salad after all.
Hi there! I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and my mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN! My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too. Let’s cook together!
always looking for a good potato salad recipe! thanks.
I made this with cilantro instead of parsley, since I was out of parsley. It was yum!
BUT I had some leftover and for breakfast the next morning, I made hashbrowns out of it! The bacon crisped up, the flavor came out even more from the dressing and it was delish!
Thanks for sharing such a easy and tasty dish Kate!
ps.
I sliced my potatoes instead of doing them in quarters, but I think it would work equally well for hash browns either way.
Finally, another human who doesn’t get on board the typical potato salad train. THIS, however, sounds delish. My sister makes one that’s similar and I love it. I also love me a good German potato salad. Bacon is also involved, so ya know…..
OMG, guinea pigs! A memory from my childhood just floated past…the part of the family that “we don’t talk about” came to visit when I was maybe five or six. They were travelling the country in an old school bus — the kind that were bright yellow and had a snout, only theirs was painted rather decoratively. And they raised guinea pigs. OMG! There were so many cages and little critters running loose in their home that I don’t know how they found a place to lie down and sleep!
Of course, as little kids, my cousin and I wanted guinea pigs of our own, but our mothers simply shuddered at the thought of their babies being in what they were sure was a flea and plague infested environment, so no new pets were acquired. LOL! I guess you’d have to call those folks hippies, huh? And I’ve got to say that your Wilbur was a very handsome specimen of his kind. RIP Wilbur. ;)
Love your guinea pig remembrances, Ruthie! And yes, Wilbur was a lovable guy. Memories…. :)
I remember my little brother in kindergarten loving the story of Humm the Hamster who loooooved parsley. Did you ever read that book? I’ll be trying this potato salad recipe soon.
Oh, Wilbur! So cute. That takes me back to some Guinea pig memories!
I ate a lot of heavy potato salad at gatherings when I was a kid, so I always prefer non-mayo based now. This is so fresh and summery. And BACON!! ????
Guinea pigs are the best – we did love our Wilbur! Happy long weekend, Amanda!
Little Wilbur! OMG he looked adorable! Love this potato salad Kate. Bacon makes everything better! And love the light mustard vinaigrette. Have a great week!
Bacon DOES make everything better! :)
I’m actually not the biggest fan of potato salads either, mainly because they’re made with miracle whip! But this version sounds delicious, Kate! I love the bacon and parsley in here, too. Perfect for summer!
You and I clearly have similar Miracle Whip issues! Happy long weekend, Gayle!
I’m not big into potato salad either, but this one looks like an outlier! I would totally face plant into this!
I used to have a guinea pig named Muffin. She lived 11 years (which is insane) and I think it was out of spite. She really hated me for some reason, maybe all that cage cleaning. :) So having personality is not always a good thing!
Muffin!!! And yes, all the cage cleaning…which was supposed to be my daughter’s job, but somehow it turned into mine. Hmm.
Wilbur was the cutest!! Aw… thank you for sharing memories of your time with him. :) Meanwhile, this potato salad looks so delicious, and not at all creamy or heavy. Yay! I also see that you added your most favorite ingredient of all time. Go Bacon Princess! ;) Happy Monday, my dear! Pinning. xo
Bacon Princess – I smile such a big smile whenever you call me that! xoxo!
Awwww I’m so sorry for your loss, Kate! Wilbur was ADORABLE!! Seriously, too cute! I hope he is resting peacefully and eating ALL the parsley in heaven! We finally don’t have something in common – I LOVE potato salad!! BUT, it can’t be crazy heavy on the mayo, so this potato salad is looking all sorts of perfect to me! I mean, you added bacon! YES! I could eat a few serving bowls of these delicious spuds! Perfect side dish for the 4th! Cheers, friend! xo
Wilbur is romping through the sparsely in guinea pig heaven, I am totally sure of that! Have a wonderful, restful long weekend my dear – xoxo!
Baked potato with fur!!!! :) :) :) :)
Right? :) :) :)
Poor little Wilbur. What a healthy diet….parsley and basil. This potato salad sounds like a great one to take to a BBQ or a potluck. Love the bacon in here :)
Wilbur had a great life! And yes, this is one of my favorite picnic take-along dishes!
Love potato in any form and this one looks so healthy and flavorful. Loved it!
It’s got the best flavors – I think because the lighter dressing lets them shine through. Yay potato!
This looks fantastic! I love that it doesn’t take too long and the potatoes don’t have to be peeled.
Because who has time to peel potatoes – not us!! xoxo :)
this is definitely the kind of potato salad i prefer, and not only because of the bacon! :)
But the bacon sure helps, right? :)
This one sounds great! The dressing on this looks really tasty. I’m absolutely trying this next
Hope you love it!