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:

1. 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.
2. 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. 
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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

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