In my high school biology class, we did a unit on the human digestive system, and for the unit test, we had to describe the digestive process for various types of foods: fats, carbohydrates, etc. I still remember that test: it read, “Sam eats a spoonful of mayonnaise. Describe how he digests it.” My first thought was, He doesn’t. He barfs it back up because that’s DISGUSTING. I mean, really, how many of you are gagging at the thought?
This is all basically my way of explaining that I’m not a big fan of mayonnaise, and I know I’m in good company. I’m fine with mayo in potato salad as long as there’s more potato than mayo, but nevertheless, I wanted to try out a completely mayo-less potato salad. This jalapeño ranch potato salad uses a homemade ranch dressing* in place of mayo, and I added some pureed jalapeños to the dressing to spice things up a bit. I removed the seeds from the jalapeños, but if you’re craving something picante, feel free to include them! This isn’t your classic American potato salad (if that’s what you’re looking for, I’ve got you covered!), but it’s damn tasty: with tangy homemade ranch, sweet corn, and smoky bacon, you really can’t go wrong!
* I originally wanted to use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream in the dressing, but I ruined all of the yogurt in a ranch dressing experiment that went so awry that one whiff could have cleared your sinuses. Luckily, I had some sour cream on hand, so that’s what I used in my second, far more successful attempt. If you try this with Greek yogurt, let me know how it goes!
- 3 pounds gold or yellow potatoes
- 6 ounces bacon (I use turkey bacon)
- 1 cup corn
- 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 cup low fat sour cream
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 jalapeños
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and fill the pot with water (there should be about 1 1/2 inches of water above the tops of the potatoes). Bring the water to a boil. Once it boils, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes can be pierced easily with a knife.
- While the potatoes are cooking, fry the bacon until crispy. Chop into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.
- Prepare the jalapeño ranch: in a medium bowl, combine the sour cream, milk, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Take 2 jalapeños and chop them roughly (include as many or as few seeds as you like), then place them in a food processor and pulse until they resemble a coarse “sauce.” Stir this “sauce” into the sour cream mixture.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a large bowl of ice water. Once they are cool enough to touch, peel off the skins with your fingers. Cut the peeled potatoes into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl.
- Add the jalapeño ranch to the potatoes and stir until the potatoes are coated. Add the bacon, corn, and the remaining 1 jalapeño (finely chopped), along with the remaining ingredients: chives, red wine vinegar, salt, seasoned salt, paprika, and chili powder. Stir until combined. Refrigerate the potato salad until you are ready to serve it. Note: I recommend letting the potato salad sit in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours before serving, to let the flavors mingle.
- I slightly overcooked the potatoes when I made the batch pictured, so when I mixed everything together, small pieces broke off and took on the consistency of mashed potatoes, making the salad creamier overall. If you’d like to replicate this (I found that I liked it quite a bit), I suggest crushing a few of the cooked potatoes with a wooden spoon.
oh. my. this looks fabulous!!!
Thanks! I’m glad it caught your eye!
Mmmmm… A creamy potato salad with no mayo? Jalapeno Ranch? Yes, please! This is coming with me to a BBQ this weekend. I can’t wait!
Awesome – enjoy!! And have a scoop for me…I wish mine weren’t all gone 😛
I wish I had this recipe a couple of weekends ago! I was making potato salad and I used mayo… which is NOT my favorite food either. I love your idea of using salad dressing, so creative. I’m definitely doing this next time I make a potato salad this summer. Happy Monday!
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. I had no idea until I started blogging how many other people dislike mayo as well…it makes me feel validated!
Potato salad is easily one of my favorite sides to have during summer time! And I’m totally loving the jalapeño ranch flavors that you chose – sounds SO yummy!! 🙂
Me too – as far as I’m concerned, it’s not a BBQ without potato salad! Thanks 🙂
I saw the word “jalapeño” and instantly thought “WHY haven’t I ever made this before??”. It seems so obvious! THIS is the next potato salad I’m making. FOR SURE.
This has been on my list of foods to make for SUCH a long time – I don’t know why it took me so long to do it! I hope you like it as much as we do 🙂
I love this recipe. My husband hates mayo so the sour cream would be perfect! Pinning for later.
I hope you get a chance to try it! Enjoy 🙂
Looks crazy good. Will have to make this for my next grill out.
Thank you! If you try it, let me know how it goes!
This looks so good! I’ll have to try this soon!
I’m glad it caught your eye! Thanks 🙂
Nice way to kick it up a notch with the classic potato salad 🙂
Thanks! I’ve been wanting to make this for a while…and it didn’t disappoint!
This is going to be a must try for me. I love spice, but never thought to add it to potato salad!
I hope you get a chance to try it! It’s really easy to adjust the spiciness level, too – I left out the jalapeño seeds, but if you want it spicier, go ahead and leave them in! The potatoes and sour cream do a good job of balancing out the heat.
Love the mayo free dressing in this recipe. I try to stay away from mayo as much as possible, too. This looks delicious. I’ll definitely be trying this recipe for a few bbq’s this summer.
Let me know what you think if you try it! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I know what dish I’m taking to the 4th of July BBQ this year! Holy YUM!
Awesome – I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!
I am such a HUGE potato salad person, but I never thought to add jalapeno ranch to mine. This definitely adds a new flavor to a salad. Love this.
Kia / The House of KTS
http://www.houseofkts.com
Thanks! I’ve seen a bunch of potato salads with bacon, and for me, bacon and jalapeños go together so perfectly that I couldn’t *not* try this!
I love potato salad and I love jalapeños and I love bacon! Thanks for this recipe-I’ll be serving it SOON 🙂
I’m glad to hear it! Enjoy 🙂 and thanks for stopping by!
What a creative and FUN potato salad!!
Thanks so much! Very fun…to eat 😛
Oh man, I am totally picking up what you are dropping with this post! Pureed jalapenos? Smoky bacon? Potato salad? Yes, yes and more yes! I love this idea, and I can’t wait to give it a shot for a summer picnic. 🙂
I hope you get a chance to try it! When I was making it, the combined scent of the bacon and jalapeños was so intoxicating…and now, thinking back on it, I’m craving potato salad again. D’oh!
You definitely had me at jalapeno! What a great way to spice up potato salad!
Thanks! If you’re a fan of jalapeños like I am, you should definitely give this a try 🙂
I’m not usually a big potato salad fan but jalapeno ranch?? I can totally get behind that!
Not a big potato salad fan?! That barely even computes in my brain! But yes, the jalapeño ranch is delicious – I didn’t have any leftover to use on (green) salad, but I definitely want to make more.
Love the addition of the jalapenos and bacon. Yummy! 🙂
Thanks, and thank you for stopping by!
What a delicious looking salad! I am with you on the mayo, I like to limit its use to a minimum and use greek yogurt wherever possible. The ranch dressing looks brilliant, love the addition of jalapeno 🙂 Thank you for sharing at FF 🙂
Thanks! I really wanted to try using Greek yogurt here, but alas, I ruined mine! Next time… 🙂
I love to make different potato salads and this version with jalapenos sounds delicious. Jalapenos and horseradish are always good ingredients to kick things up a bit!
Thanks! I just checked out your new potato and green bean salad – it looks fantastic!
I love a good potato salad, and yours looks and sounds really good!! Thanks for linking this to Fiesta Friday! 🙂
Thank you! And thanks for hosting – I enjoy browsing through all the many drool-worthy recipes!
Can’t wait to taste this potato salad. We love jalapenos.. Going to be the hit of my 4th of July table.. Potatoes are boiling as I type..
I’m so happy to hear that you’re making this today – I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Happy Fourth of July 🙂