Let your taste buds experience the ultimate smoky flavor with Chef Tom's Loaded Potato Salad recipe that is cooked over a charcoal fire! Enjoy the deliciousness of all the classic loaded baked potato ingredients in a creamy, savory potato salad - a perfect dish for any backyard BBQ!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Two-zone charcoal-and-gas setup: Loading a charcoal basket into just half the grill lets you sear the potatoes over real fire while the bacon renders gently on the gas side — one grill, two cooking methods, no extra equipment.
- Cut-side-down charring: Cooking the boiled potato halves face-down directly over the coals builds a deeply browned, almost baked-potato-skin crust that a stovetop version could never achieve.
- Grilled green onions: A quick char on the scallions before dicing adds a smoky sweetness that regular raw green onion just can't match in a loaded potato salad.
- Homemade "Ranch(ish)" dressing: Building the dressing from scratch with dijon, hot sauce, and fresh herbs gives you a brighter, more balanced tang than a bottled ranch would.
Loaded Potato Salad
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 7 users
Category
Side Dish
Cuisine
American
Servings
10
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
55 minutes
Calories
423
Chef Tom fires up the Napoleon Prestige Gas Grill for Loaded Potato Salad cooked over a charcoal fire! It's all of the greatness of a loaded baked potato in potato salad form!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lb red potatoes
- 3-4 tbsp avocado oil
-
Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All-Purpose Seasoning
- 12 oz or 8 slices thick sliced bacon
- 4 green onions
- 1/4 cup cheddar curds, diced
- 1/4 cup feta, crumbled
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
-
1 tbsp Kozlik’s Dijon Classique
-
1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Pit Fire Hot Sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh baby dill, minced
-
Jacobsen Salt Co. Tellicherry Black Peppercorns, fresh ground, to taste
Ranch(ish) Potato Salad Dressing:
Directions
- Place the red potatoes in a dutch oven and cover with cool water. Cover with a lid and place on the infrared side burner of the Napoleon P500RSIB-3 Propane Grill. Turn the heat to high. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, but maintain a simmer. Cook until tender when pierced with a toothpick, about 30 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the water and cool.
- While the potatoes are cooking, install a Napoleon Cast Iron Charcoal Basket inside on one half of the grill. Fill with lump charcoal. Light the burners under the charcoal and let burn until the charcoal is lit, about 5-10 minutes, then turn the gas burners off.
- Lay out the bacon on a wire jerky rack over a sheet pan. Transfer the pan to the grill. Cook the bacon on the half of the grill opposite the charcoal, over gas burners set to medium heat. Cook until the bacon is rendered and crisp, about 20-30 minutes. Remove the bacon from the rack and place on paper towels to soak up excess bacon fat. When cool, dice into 1/4” thick pieces.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut the potatoes in half. Place in a mixing bowl and toss with the avocado oil. Season with Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All-Purpose Seasoning. Transfer to the grill. Place the potatoes cut side down over the hot charcoal. Cook until golden brown. Flip. Cook until the skin is crisped and lightly charred. Remove from the grill to cool.
- Grill the green onions over the charcoal until slightly charred and softened. Remove from the grill and dice.
- To make the Ranch(ish) Potato Salad Dressing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well to combine.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the grilled potatoes, grilled diced green onions, diced bacon, diced cheddar curds and crumbled feta. Mix well. Pour the Ranch(ish) Potato Salad Dressing over the mixture. Mix well to combine and coat.
Taste the mixture and season with Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All-Purpose Seasoning. Serve at room temperature or transfer to the refrigerator to serve cold later.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why grill the potatoes on the charcoal side instead of just roasting them?
Boiling gets them tender, but finishing cut-side down directly over live coals adds a browned, almost baked-potato-skin crust that boiling alone can't produce — it's the difference between potato salad and loaded potato salad.
Why set up a charcoal basket on only half the grill instead of using the whole grate?
Splitting the grill lets the bacon render gently over indirect gas heat at the same time the potatoes are getting direct char over the coals — two cooking methods running in parallel on one grill, no extra equipment needed.
Why grill the green onions before dicing them into the salad?
A quick char on the scallions concentrates their flavor and adds a smoky sweetness that raw green onion doesn't bring — a small step that pulls the whole dish toward "grilled" rather than "boiled."
Why build the dressing separately instead of using bottled ranch?
Combining dijon, hot sauce, and fresh parsley, chives, and dill gives a brighter, more complex tang than bottled ranch, and lets the acidity be tuned to balance the richness of the bacon and cheese.
Is it safe to leave this potato salad out at a cookout?
This recipe doesn't call out a holding temperature, but because it's built on mayonnaise and sour cream, USDA guidance is to keep it out no longer than 2 hours at room temperature (1 hour above 90°F). Keep it chilled until serving and refrigerate leftovers promptly.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
2 out of 5 — the potatoes can be boiled and the bacon cooked in a skillet or oven indoors, but the charred crust on the potatoes and the smoky grilled green onions are the core of the "loaded" flavor here and really depend on live fire.
Recipe Highlights
Charring cut-side down: Finishing boiled potatoes face-down over coals builds a crust that boiling alone can't produce.
Split-grill setup: Running charcoal and gas side by side lets the bacon render gently while the potatoes get direct char, all in one cook.
Grilling the green onions: A quick char adds smoky depth that raw scallions can't match.
From-scratch dressing: Fresh herbs and dijon give more balanced tang than bottled ranch, tuned to cut through the bacon and cheese.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 6.92 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 423
- Carbs
- 20 grams
- Protein
- 16 grams
- Fat
- 30 grams
- Sodium
- 1004 milligrams
