Baked Potato-Potato Salad

My mom makes the best potato salad on the planet as far as I'm concerned. It has mustard, mayo, cucumbers and radishes in it. I have never been able to replicate it. That is probably because she just eyeballs the amounts and it miraculously turns out perfectly every time. My version, hmmm...not so much. I just make sure that I convince her to make it when we come to visit her, or she comes to visit us.

My mother's potato salad aside, a few years ago we went to Mrblocko's best friend's house for a BBQ. They had bought a potato salad from a local store that was very much like a loaded baked potato, only in potato salad form. This was almost as good as my mom's version even though its only similarities were that it contained mayo and potatoes.

This Baked potato salad has stuck in my mind and I have wanted to attempt it, but potatoes never want to cook properly for me. Since I have discovered the blessings of the crockpot baked potato, I have finally been willing to give making potato salad another try.

A few months ago I came across two very similar potato salad recipes that sounded like what I had eaten all those years ago. The first was from Buns in my oven and the other was from craving comfort with the homesteading housewife. I smashed the 2 recipes together and I think I recreated the baked potato salad I tasted so long ago.

Mrblocko, after consuming the first bite, declared it to be the best potato salad he ever ate. I asked if it was even better than my mom's. He gave a resounding yes. I was sceptical, and debated that they were so different I don't know that the two salads could be compared. He replied, "Honey, I love your mom's potato salad, but this one has bacon. Everything is better with bacon." Here's my version of the recipe:

Loaded Baked potato salad
1.5 lbs baking/russet potatoes
1/2 c real mayo (I used low fat)
1/2 c low fat sour cream
3/4 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 lb bacon
3 gr onions, white and green parts, sliced
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp seasoning salt(I used Bacon flavored Salt)
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp smoked paprika

Wash potatoes, brush with olive oil, and stab the bejeezus out of them. Place them in a crock pot on high for around 2 hours until they are cooked through. Set the potatoes aside to cool. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, dice them into bite size pieces. Let them cool completely in the fridge. In the meantime, cook the bacon until it is crispy. Crumble or cut into small pieces. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl, making sure to set aside some bacon, gr onions and cheese for a decorative topping. Add cooled potatoes. Stir very carefully until the potatoes are coated with the mayo mixture. Top with reserved, cheese, bacon and gr onions. This dish is best after it sits in the fridge for a few hours and the flavors get a chance to marry.