Name: Red Ranch Potato Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Ingredients: 3 pounds red potatoes, (halved or quartered); 1 16 oz. container sour cream; 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 1/3 cup dry buttermilk powder; 1 tbsp garlic powder; 1 tbsp onion powder; 2 tsp dried parsley; 1 tsp dried dill; 2 tsp dried chives; 1 tsp fine sea salt; 1/2 tsp sugar; fresh cracked black pepper to taste; 1/2 tsp mustard powder; 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, (shredded); 3 green onions, (chopped); 6 slices bacon, (cooked and crumbled, optional)

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Nothing says summer like potato salad, especially this Red Ranch Potato Salad.

I suppose you can eat potato salad all year long. It’s a deli staple. But when I was growing up, potato salad meant summer. I can remember my mom sitting in the living room peeling potatoes hot potatoes on a tray table while she was watching her “stories” (As the World Turns).

Back then, at least in the early years, I didn’t even like potato salad. Mayonnaise was an acquired taste for me. But still . . . the smell of boiled potatoes and hard-boiled eggs just transports me to the start (and end) of summer. The first batch of potato salad was made for Memorial Day. And the last batch for my Dad’s birthday’s–August 31st–and our big end of summer picnic.

Luckily, over the years I learned to tolerate mayo and potato salad became one of my favorites. Especially the boring way my mom made it–potatoes, mayo, salt, pepper, hard boiled eggs. Hard stop.

She made a second batch with celery, but I’ve never like celery in things. Still don’t, honestly. Although if it’s cold I can deal with it. Id’ prefer my potato salad without celery, but I can eat it. As long as it crunches. Please, please, please keep your soggy celery out of my soup though.

Why You’ll Love It:

I know not everyone like mayonnaise. And that’s why this Red Ranch Potato Salad is perfect! There’s only a tiny bit of mayo in the recipe. And the taste is totally hidden by the garlicky ranch seasoning. This salad is perfect for the non-mayo eaters in your life.

And it’s a fun surprise even for people who like mayonnaise.

A long time ago we were out to dinner with friends and the subject of ranch dressing came up. Our friend proclaimed that “every body loves ranch!” To which my husband object. “I don’t,” he said. It remains a joke among us to this day. (Although, you could substitute almost any “normal” food/flavor for “ranch” and he’d still object. Honestly, I can’t believe I married him).

But my husband aside, every one does LOVE ranch. It’s a quintessential American flavor. And it goes so well with potatoes–which is why this red ranch potato salad is the perfect summer staple.

The other fantastic thing about this recipe, aside from it’s mouth-watering taste, is that you don’t have to peel the potatoes. When you make traditional potato salad there is some controversy about whether to peel the potatoes before or after you boil them. My mom always did it after, because it was “easier that way.” But that meant she had to handle boiling hot potatoes. No thank you!

If you peel them before, they won’t burn you hands, But it’s a pain in the you-know-what. I can’t be the only person who hates peeling potatoes. With red ranch potato salad, there’s no peeling at all. Just boil those babies with the skins and on serve them that way. The tender skin becomes a part of the salad.

Red ranch potato salad with plant in background

How to Make Red Ranch Potato Salad:

Don’t let the long list of ingredients intimidate you. They are mostly spices for the ranch seasoning. And those are mostly things you have in your pantry. The only weird ingredient is dried buttermilk. You buy it in the baking section. And while it’s not a “normal” pantry staple, it is great to have on hand to whip up some biscuits or even to coat chicken. Store it in the fridge for up to two months.

Scrub potatoes clean. Cut in half if they are on the larger size. You want all the potatoes to be about the same size. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring the potatoes to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and let cool.

In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk powder, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, dill, chives, sea salt, sugar, black pepper, and mustard powder. The tiny bit of sugar in this recipe just helps to bring out all the flavors. Don’t worry it won’t make your potato salad sweet.

In a large bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, and seasoning mix. You want this bowl to be big enough to add the potatoes too. Mix in potatoes, cheddar cheese, and green onions and stir well. I always grate my own cheddar cheese. I’s not such a big deal in a cold recipe like this, but the anti-cake coating they put on pre-shredded cheese often tastes chalk to me. It does interfere with the meltability in hot recipes, so then you definitely want to shred your own. But here you can use either.

Sprinkle bacon on top, or add to individual servings. Since we have vegetarian in our house, we always add it to individual servings. Refrigerate until chilled, about two hours. You can store this red ranch potato salad covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Enjoy!

This red ranch potato salad is the perfect side dish with burgers and dogs. It’s also great along side a ham or turkey sandwich. Or try it with your favorite barbecue dish, like these barbecue chicken sandwiches.

I also love to eat this red ranch potato salad for lunch. Just a big old bowl of potato salad. Maybe a hardboiled egg or some cheddar cheese. Yum!

Happy Eating!