Thanks to roasted potatoes, this potato salad is next-level good and teeming with awesome savory flavor, with rosemary, bacon, and hard boiled eggs, and a creamy mustardy-mayo dressing.
I’ve shared several different types of potato salad recipes here on the blog, and this roasted potato salad happens to be my latest obsession, because it’s teeming with salty, tangy flavors and full of great texture.
In This Post
Roasting potatoes for your potato salad gives them more savory flavor and more body, helping maintain their texture so they won’t get mushy. Bacon and fresh rosemary add earthy notes, and hard-boiled egg and mayo add creaminess.
Finally, red wine vinegar, red onion, and two different types of mustard (Dijon and whole grain) lend irresistible tangy notes. I also love the seedy bite from the whole grain mustard.
This potato salad will be your new fave too, I promise.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- There are lots of crispy, crunchy textures in this potato salad between the roasted red potatoes, bacon, and red onion.
- It’s an unexpected take on the classic potluck side dish that everyone always asks the recipe for.
- The hands-on prep takes less than 20 minutes and the finished salad tastes like it came from the deli counter.
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Baby red potatoes — These small, waxy potatoes roast like a dream. The edges become gold and crispy, while insides remain creamy and soft.
- Canola oil — You need to use a neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point for optimum roasting.
- Fresh rosemary — Don’t swap with dry rosemary, which is hard and crunchy to begin with and will only get worse after roasting.
- Garlic salt — Adds garlicky flavor without the risk of burning that comes with fresh garlic.
- Bacon — Pork, turkey, vegetarian. Use your favorite bacon, just make sure to fry it up nice and crispy.
- Mayonnaise — All my favorite potato salads start with a creamy dressing made from mayo, and this recipe made with roasted potatoes is no different.
- Red wine vinegar — Adds a nice tang to the dressing and keeps it from tasting heavy.
- Mustard — Use double the mustard for superior rich and tangy flavor. I used both Dijon and whole grain, but use your favorites.
- Hard-boiled eggs — Add texture and bulk.
- Red onion — When finely chopped, the potent bites of red onion perfectly balance out the creamy dressing and crispy potatoes.
- Fresh chives — Add extra onion flavor, minus the dragon’s breath that comes from raw onion.
How to Make Oven Roasted Potato Salad
- Prep the potatoes. Quarter the potatoes before tossing with a healthy glug of olive oil, minced rosemary, garlic salt, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Roast until crispy. Let the potatoes roast until the bottoms are golden brown before flipping to crisp up the other side.
- Fry the bacon. You want to fry it up nice and crisp to add even more texture to the potato salad.
- Make the dressing. Whisk together the mayo, vinegar, and mustard. Taste and season with salt and pepper until the flavors really pop.
- Mix it up. Toss the hot potatoes with ¾ of the dressing, then mix in the bacon, red onion, chopped egg, and chives. Add more dressing for a creamier roast potato salad, or keep as is for a drier — but no less flavorful — version.
Heidi’s Tip: Let the potato salad chill for an hour or two before serving. The longer it sits, the more the flavors have time to meld and get happy.
Recipe FAQs
Not only does roasting lend a more warm, complex, savory flavor to your potato salad, it also helps the potatoes stay intact and keeps the potatoes from getting too starchy.
I don’t recommend roasting your potatoes in advance, only because freshly roasted potatoes will better absorb all of that creamy dressing and the other flavors while they’re hot or warm.
Not really. Roasting your potatoes helps ensure you won’t overcook them (it’s so easy to over-boil potatoes, resulting in a mushy potato salad).
You can use any small roasting potato for this recipe (i.e. something waxy like fingerling potatoes, baby gold potatoes, Yukon Golds, etc.).
Storage Tips
Roasted red potato salad will last up to 4 days in the fridge, noting that the potatoes will lost their crisp edges over time and the bacon will soften.
What to Serve with Roasted Potato Salad
- Veggies and Salads — Grilled Vegetables Skewers, Grilled Corn on the Cob, Vinegar Coleslaw, Strawberry Chicken Salad
- Grilled Proteins — Grilled Chicken Breasts with Chive and Herb Butter, Juicy BBQ Chicken Breasts, Simple Grilled Salmon, Grilled Pork Chops
- Baked Proteins — Simplest Whole Roast Chicken, Oven Baked Burgers, Turkey Meatloaf
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Roasted Potato Salad
Ingredients
Potato Salad:
- 2 pounds baby red potatoes , rinsed and scrubbed
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces bacon , about ¾ cup once cooked and chopped
- 4 hard boiled eggs , peeled and chopped or cut into wedges
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
Instructions
Roast the Potatoes
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Leaving the skins on, cut the potatoes into quarters and place them onto a large sheet pan.
- Drizzle the potatoes with oil and minced rosemary, then season with garlic salt, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Using your hands, toss the potatoes until well coated.
- Roast the potatoes undisturbed for 30 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown. Flip the potatoes and continue cooking until fork tender, another 10-15 minutes. The larger the potato chunks the longer they will take to cook.
Fry the Bacon
- While the potatoes are cooking, fry the bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels, and cut into bite-size pieces.
Make the Dressing
- In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and whole-grain mustard. Add a generous pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix well.
Assemble the Potato Salad
- Once the potatoes are done, remove from the oven and set then set them aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl with ¾ of the dressing and toss to coat. Add the chopped bacon, red onion, chopped egg, and chives and toss again. Add more dressing as desired. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Top with more chopped chives and rosemary if you like. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
More Potato Salad Recipes to Try
- Creamy Red Potato Salad
- Classic Creamy Potato Salad
- German Potato Salad
- Chunky Pesto Potato Salad
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad
- Greek Potato Salad
- Ranch Potato Salad
- No-Mayo Potato Salad with Herbs
- Nicoise Potato Salad
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Gail C.
I’ve made your Best Potato Salad often! So, I’m wondering if when making this one, I could use Miracle Whip again instead of mayo? Also, I usually have duck fat in the freezer, so could I use that instead of canola oil or would it affect the flavour too much? Thanks, Heidi
Sure Gail, you could use Miracle Whip, it will have a sweeter taste. I’ve never used duck fat for cooking but you could certainly give it a try. Let us know how it goes!
Thoko Kalemera
This was a hit this past weekend
Hayley
Thank you, Thoko–we’re so glad to hear that! :)
Carlyn
This was SO good. Savory with a variety of textures and flavors. Really glad I stumbled across this recipe. Will be making it again and again!
Hayley
Thank you for sharing, Carlyn—we’re so glad you loved it! :)