Grilled Potato Salad with Jalapeno, Bacon, & Blue Cheese
Grilled Potato Salad with Jalapeno, Bacon, and Blue Cheese is inspired by my father-in-law’s love of bacon, blue cheese, and caramelized onions. This 'salad' is decadent and packed with rich flavors. The grilled new potatoes are tossed in a garlic jalapeno vinaigrette and layered with smoky slices of thick-cut grilled bacon, sweet charred red onions, and pungent blue cheese. Move over mayo, there's a new potato salad in town!
Yield: Serves 6 as a side
Potato Salad:
- 3 pounds small new potatoes
- 7 slices thick-cut bacon, grilled, cut into thin slices
- 2 medium red onions, cut into thin slices
- 1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
- 1 jalapeno, cut into thin rounds
Garlic Jalapeno Vinaigrette:
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/2 jalapeno, finely minced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Steps:
- Preheat your grill on high for 10-15 minutes. Clean the grates thoroughly and wipe with a lightly oiled rag just prior to grilling to reduce sticking.
- Cut the potatoes into small, even sized pieces (halves or quarters, depending on the size of your potatoes). Place the cut potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil, reduce to a vigorous simmer and cook 6-8 minutes until the potatoes are al dente: tender when pierced through with knife, but still retain much of their shape. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
- For the garlic jalapeno vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, jalapeno, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk well to combine, set aside.
- For the grilled onions: While the potatoes are cooking, toss the chopped onions in a large bowl or zip-top bag, and mix with 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette. Grill the onions on medium high, grill lid down, for 6-8 minutes, rotating them once through the cooking. Remove from the grill when nicely browned and set aside.
- For the grilled potatoes: Bring the grill back to high and clean again. After cleaning, wipe the grill with a lightly oiled rag just prior to grilling to reduce sticking. Toss the par cooked potatoes in a large bowl with another tablespoon of the vinaigrette and mix to coat evenly. Lay the potatoes on the grill, cut side down and reduce heat to medium high heat for 5 minutes. Rotate the potatoes and cook for an additional 5 minutes until grill marks appear and the potatoes are tender. Remove from the grill.
- To assemble the salad: Place the grilled potatoes, onions and bacon in a large mixing bowl and toss gently to combine with the jalapeno garlic vinaigrette. Add the blue cheese and additional chopped jalapeno as a toping right at the end, as the blue cheese will start to melt. Serve warm.
Rebecca Shetler Fast