Text Title reads Candied Bacon and Dill Pickle Potato Salad. Featured Image. Potato Salad in a blue bowl garnished with chopped bacon and chives. A serving spoon is resting on the side.

Candied Bacon and Dill Pickle Potato Salad

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Candied Bacon and Dill Pickle Potato Salad is a Delightful Twist on the Classic Potato Salad

Candied Bacon and Dill Pickle Salad in a blue bowl garnished with chopped bacon and chives. A serving spoon is off to the side.

This Candied Bacon and Dill Pickle Potato Salad is a delightful twist on the classic potato salad, combining the creaminess of the dressing, the freshness of dill, green onions, and the irresistible sweetness of candied bacon. It’s a perfect dish for picnics, barbecues, or any gathering where you want to impress with a side dish that’s both comforting and indulgent.

Whole uncooked Yukon Gold potatoes in a Italian print bowl on a white background.
A sprig of dill on a white background.

Cream Yukon Golds

At its heart are the humble yet versatile Yukon gold potatoes. These golden treasures are carefully prepared, boiled to perfection until they achieve a tender, melt-in-your-mouth consistency. The choice of Yukon gold potatoes, with their buttery texture and earthy flavor, adds depth to the salad and forms a harmonious base for the other ingredients.

The magic truly begins with the dressing, a luscious blend of mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, diced dill pickles, pickle juice, fresh dill, sliced green onions, and a pinch of salt and black pepper. This dressing is where the salad’s complexity and balance emerge. The mayonnaise and sour cream provide creaminess, while the Dijon mustard lends a subtle tang that complements the richness of the potatoes. The diced dill pickles and pickle juice add a refreshing, briny bite, and the fresh dill and green onions contribute a vibrant, herbaceous note.

Mmmm… Bacon

However, the real star of this dish is the candied bacon. The bacon strips are transformed into irresistible morsels through a process that involves baking with brown sugar. This results in a sublime fusion of sweet and savory, as the sugar caramelizes, creating a crunchy, sweet coating that contrasts beautifully with the smoky, salty bacon. When mixed into the salad, the candied bacon introduces a textural and flavor crescendo that elevates the entire experience.

As the salad is allowed to chill, the flavors meld and intensify, achieving a perfect equilibrium. This Candied Bacon and Dill Pickle Potato Salad is a culinary journey, a fusion of creamy, tangy, sweet, and savory elements that captivate the taste buds with each forkful.

Enjoy!

A display of ingredients for Candied Bacon and Dill Pickle Potato Salad. A jar of mayonnaise, a tub of sour cream, a jar of dill pickles, a tin of celery salt, a container of Dijon mustard and a box of kosher salt

Ingredients for Candied Bacon and Dill Pickle Potato Salad

  • 3 lb. full size Yukon gold potatoes, add 1 tablespoon salt to water
  • 2/3 cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, I used Grey Poupon (not an affiliate link)
  • 3 medium sized dill pickles, diced, I used Mt. Olive Kosher Dills (not an affiliate link)
  • 2 tablespoons pickle juice
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
  • 3 green onions, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon celery salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 8 strips Candied Bacon Recipe

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the Potatoes

Start by peeling potatoes. Leave them whole and place in a large pot and cover them with cold, salted water.

Step 2: Cook the Potatoes

Bring the pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a tablespoon of salt to the water to season the potatoes as they cook. Allow the potatoes to simmer for about 20 -25 minutes or until they are fork-tender but not mushy. Drain in a colander and let them cool.  Then, cut them into bite-sized chunks, ensuring they are roughly uniform in size.  Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Instructional; A blue bowl with cubed potatoes and a small bowl of dressing
Instructional; Three pickles, three green onions and three sprigs of dill on a cutting board with a kitchen knife of to the side.
Instructional; A pile of chopped pickles, chopped green onion, and minced dill on a cutting board.

Dice dill pickles, green onion, and fresh dill.

Step 3: Prepare the Dressing

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, diced dill pickles, pickle juice, fresh dill, sliced green onions, celery salt, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Mix these ingredients together until you have a creamy and well combined dressing.

Step 4: Assemble the Salad

Gently fold the creamy dressing mixture into the potatoes until they are well-coated. Be careful not to break the potatoes, you want them to hold their shape.

Step 5: Add the Bacon; See my Candied Bacon Recipe

Instructional; Candied bacon on a metal rack.
Instructional; Potato Salad in a blue bowl and a pile of chopped bacon next to it.

Once the candied bacon has cooled, crumble it into small pieces.  Mix the bacon into the potato salad.  If you’d like, reserve a little bacon to garnish the top for presentation.

Step 7: Chill and Serve

If making it ahead, mix in the Candied Bacon no more than 2 hours before serving. The candy coating tends to dissolve if added the day before.

Candied Bacon and Dill Pickle Potato Salad displayed in a blue bowl and next to it is a white plate with a serving of beans, potato salad, coleslaw, corn, and a barbecue rib.
Candied Bacon and Dill Pickle Potato Salad
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Candied Bacon and Dill Pickle Potato Salad

Recipe by Andrea's KeepersCourse: Lunch/DinnerCuisine: American
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

40

minutes

A delightful twist on the classic potato salad, combining the savory, salty taste of of dill pickles, and the irresistible sweetness of candied bacon.

Ingredients

  • 3 lb. full size Yukon Gold potatoes, add 1 tablespoon salt to water

  • 2/3 cup mayonnaise

  • 1/2 cup sour cream

  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, I used Grey Poupon

  • 3 medium sized dill pickles, diced, I used Mt. Olive Kosher Dills

  • 2 tablespoons pickle juice

  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped

  • 3 green onions, sliced

  • 1 teaspoon celery salt

  • 2 teaspoons sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • 8 strips Candied Bacon, see recipe

Directions

  • Start by peeling the potatoes. Leave them whole and place in a large pot and cover them with cold, salted water.
  • Bring the pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a tablespoon of salt to the water to season the potatoes as they cook. Allow the potatoes to simmer for about 20 -25 minutes or until they are fork-tender but not mushy. Drain in a colander and let them cool.  Then, cut them into bite-sized chunks, ensuring they are roughly uniform in size.  Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  • Dice dill pickles, green onion, and fresh dill. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, diced dill pickles, pickle juice, fresh dill, sliced green onions, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Mix these ingredients together until you have a creamy and well combined dressing.
  • Gently fold the creamy dressing mixture into the potatoes until they are well coated. Be careful not to break the potatoes, you want them to hold their shape.
  • Once the candied bacon has cooled, crumble it into small pieces.  Mix the bacon into the potato salad.  If you’d like, reserve a little bacon to garnish the top for presentation.
    Chill and serve. If making it ahead, mix in the Candied Bacon no more than 2 hours before serving. The candy coating tends to dissolve if added the day before.