This delicious potato salad has been a family staple of ours for years. It was introduced to us by my brother in law John, who is a fabulous cook. The recipe was passed down from his grandmother, and I’d like to give him (and his grandmother) full credit, and a huge word of thanks for sharing it with me so many years ago. I love family recipes that have history behind them, don’t you? I’ve always made this potato salad the traditional way, boiling the potatoes in one pan, and cooking the other ingredients in another – basically making a huge mess in my kitchen. But this year, as Independence Day approached I started mulling over the idea of preparing the salad in my Instant Pot, and just decided to go for it! It turned out so good, and was so super easy to prepare, I thought I’d share the recipe with you.

Like I said before, this is an old family recipe, which is usually the best kind. And let’s face it, almost everything tastes better with bacon! Adding rosemary to the recipe kicks everything up a notch. I’m telling you, there is nothing like the aroma of bacon and rosemary having a party in the kitchen. The Instant Pot allows you to not only cook your potatoes and eggs together, but it also gives you the ability to cook the bacon and seasonings in that same pot. One pot clean up, that’s what I’m talking about!

Cooking the Potatoes and Eggs:

I use russet potatoes for my potato salad, but red or yellows work just fine. Rinse and chop the potatoes into good size chunks, leaving the skin on. Place the potatoes into the steamer basket of your Instant Pot. Lay the eggs (unshelled) on top of the potatoes. How’s that for easy? Pour a cup and a half of water into the pot, then close the lid and cook everything on high pressure for 5 minutes. (Go ahead and prep the bacon, rosemary and onions while the potatoes and eggs are cooking). Do a quick release when the pot has finished doing its magic, then remove the eggs and place them into an ice bath to hang out for a while. Remove the potatoes and put them in a large bowl. Rinse the pot and get ready for the next step.

Just nestle the eggs on top of the potatoes in the Instant Pot steamer basket.

Prepare the Bacon, Onion and Herbs – a few tips

chopped bacon with shears — Use a pair of kitchen shears to easily chop up the bacon.

I use my mom’s old kitchen shears to chop up the bacon. It’s so much easier than using a knife!
For the rosemary – hold the tip of the rosemary stem with one hand, and pinch the stem at the top with the other and slide your fingers down. The rosemary will peel right off the woody stem! It’s magic! Then you can finely dice it.
For the basil – take the basil leaves and roll them up together, then slice into ribbons, then continue dicing.
For the garlic – take the cloves of garlic and give them a good whack with the side of your knife, removing the skin from the clove. Then use a garlic press, or finely chop up the cloves.

Bacon and Rosemary and Onions, Oh My!

bacon cooking in the Instant Pot — The trick here is to take your time melding all the flavors together. I found that the Instant Pot cooks everything at the perfect temperature so the bacon renders beautifully, merging with the delicious flavors of the herbs and onions. Your house is going to smell like heaven!

Now it’s time to kick everything into gear. Place the cleaned pot back into the Instant Pot and turn it to the Saute setting, drizzle a little olive oil into the pot and let it get good and hot. Throw in the chopped bacon and allow it to start cooking. Sprinkle on about a teaspoon of ground black pepper. Sauteeing the bacon will allow it to render more flavor, and yes, Karen, bacon grease. Yummy bacon grease! Trust me. You want this in your salad. As the bacon begins to brown, add in the chopped onions, rosemary, basil and garlic and salt. Everybody in the pool! Keep stirring as you cook, and let all those flavors mesh together. Take a step back and take a deep breath of that aroma. Seriously. It’s intoxicating! Important: Do NOT drain the grease!

Mix It Up!

Now it’s getting good. Go ahead and coarsely chop the eggs that have been chilling out, and add them to the bowl of potatoes. Gently fold in mayonnaise, as much as you like – this really is a matter of preference and can be adjusted as you go. Be sure to use real mayonnaise, not the salad dressing type. Down south we like Duke’s mayo, but feel free to use whatever brand you prefer. Now the fun part, Grab the pot of that bacon and rosemary deliciousness from the Instant Pot, and pour the entire thing over the potato mixture. Yep. Grease and all. Trust me. It’s going to be worth it. Now gently stir everything together. Cover and chill overnight or for at least three hours. The waiting is the hardest part of this recipe! When you’re ready to serve, give everything another stir, and garnish with a few sprinkles of finely minced fresh rosemary and basil if you’d like.

Bacon on Potato Salad — Pour the entire potful of bacon and herb mixture (including the rendered bacon grease) over the potatoes, eggs and mayo. Trust me.

This salad will work so well for your summertime cookouts and picnics. It tastes great with grilled chicken. We even serve it at Christmas and Thanksgiving with our turkey and ham. Like I said, it’s a treasured family recipe and brings back precious memories every single time I make it. All those times spent around my table with my family, gathered together, laughing and eating and enjoying each other’s company – that’s the joyful reward of cooking for your family.