Potato Salad With Bacon and Apples

Potato Salad with Bacon and Apples makes the perfect summer potluck potato salad! Yukon Gold potatoes, bacon, onions, and chopped apple make this salty-sweet potato salad with apples a standout.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Published July 31, 2008
Elise Bauer
Potato Salad with Apples and Bacon on serving plate
Elise Bauer

Potato Salad With Bacon and Apples

Summer is the season for cookouts and potato salad, isn't it?

Our standard potato salad usually includes pickle juice and hard-boiled eggs.

But a potato salad with bacon and apples? Yes!

This is a completely different take on a summer potato salad, seasoned with mustard, bacon, and the taste that makes you smile with surprise when you bite into it - chunks of apple.

My friend Heidi H made this potato salad with apples and bacon for a group of us this week; it's based on a recipe she found in the Boston Globe.

Everyone who ate it loved the apple, bacon, mustard, potato combo.

For more information on which apple varieties are best for baking, check out our Guide to Apples.

Potato Salad With Bacon and Apples

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 5 thick strips bacon
  • 1 large red or yellow onion, chopped
  • Salt
  • 2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut in 1/2-inch dice
  • 3 pounds small yellow Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced, including the greens
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

Method

  1. Boil the potatoes:

    Combine the potatoes and enough cold water to cover by a couple of inches in a large saucepan. Add a generous pinch of salt.

    Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cover the pan. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain well.

  2. Cook the bacon:

    While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon in a heavy-based skillet over medium heat. Once cooked, remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.

    Reserve the bacon fat in the pan.

    Once the bacon is cool, chop it.

  3. Cook the chopped onion:

    Cook the onion in the fat in the pan on medium heat, until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes.

  4. Combine ingredients in a bowl:

    Use a slotted spoon to remove the onion from the pan to a large bowl. Add the chopped apple to the bowl.

    Add the potatoes and chopped bacon to the onions and apple. Add the green onions, olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and thyme. Salt and pepper to taste.

    Serve either warm or at room temperature.