Ranch Potato Salad: Perfect for a Picnic

Ranch Potato Salad: Perfect for a Picnic

Full recipe here. This month in the kitchen we made a summer picnic favorite: potato salad. This is a savory potato salad with a twist! Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 6 to 8 large Idaho potatoes
  • 8 slices of bacon
  • 1 small red onion
  • 1 C. grated cheddar cheese
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Pepper (to taste)
  • Garlic powder (to taste)
  • 1 C. ranch dressing

The original recipe calls for boiling the potatoes whole, but to save time I went ahead and cut them into one inch cubes to speed up the process. I boiled seven potatoes for about 20 minutes and they were perfectly tender.

While the potatoes were going I cooked my bacon. Low and slow is the saying for perfectly crispy bacon. Keep the temperature low and don’t try to rush it or you’ll end up with burned bacon. Once your bacon has cooked, set the pieces on a paper towel to drain, cool and crisp up.

Next, drain and cool your potatoes completely. I let them sit for at least 30 minutes. This is an important step otherwise your cheese will melt into a gooey mess on top of hot potatoes, which normally wouldn’t be a bad thing, but it’s not what you want for this recipe. While these were cooling I chopped up my bacon into small pieces.

Once everything is cooled off, add the crumbled bacon, diced red onion, cheddar cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder and mix thoroughly. Finally, add the ranch dressing and mix again.

The last step is to let everything chill in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours. Then you’re ready to package it for a picnic or lunch by the pool!

Recipe courtesy of Litehouse Foods.

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Bacon & BBQ Chicken Pizza
Buy pre-made pizza dough or make from scratch using below ingredients.
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients:
  • 1 C. Hot water
  • 1 pkg. Active dry yeast
  • 1/4 tsp. Sugar
  • 2 ½ - 3 C. All-purpose flour
  • 1/8 tsp. Salt
  • 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
Pizza Ingredients:
  • 1 batch Pizza dough above or pre-made
  • 1 C. Bacon roughly 6 thick cut slices
  • 1 - 2 Chicken breasts
  • 1 C. bacon moonshine BBQ Sauce
  • 8 oz. Fresh mozzarella
Directions
  1. In a small measuring cup, dissolve yeast and sugar in hot water. Allow to sit and proof for 5-10 minutes.
  2. In a stand mixer or food processor, combine 2 ½ cups of flour, salt and olive oil. While mixing on low, pour in yeast mixture. Mix until a ball is formed and is no longer sticky. Add additional flour, if needed. Transfer to a lightly oiled large bowl, cover and store in a warm location until at least doubled in size.
  3. In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until desired crispness is reached. Set aside on a cutting board.
  4. Reduce heat to medium/low, cooking chicken until no longer pink. Shred chicken by hand and toss with 1/3 cup (or more) of BBQ sauce. Roughly chop bacon and set aside.
  5. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  6. Lightly grease a sheet pan with olive oil or use a pizza stone (you may also use parchment paper lightly floured on top). Shape dough to nearly fit pan and spread remaining BBQ sauce over dough. Scatter shredded chicken throughout. Top off with sliced mozzarella and chopped bacon. Brush exposed crust with olive oil.
  7. Bake for 10-15 minutes and serve warm. Baking time may vary based on your liking of crispiness.
Recipe Notes

Yield – Makes 1 pizza or serves 4-6

Recipe and photograph courtesy of Chelten House Products, Inc.

May 23, 2017
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