See the 5 Semifinalists Potato Salad Recipes

Aug. 15, 2008 — -- Everything goes better with bacon, potato salad included. That's why Kathy Knapp's BLT Potato Salad took the tater title in Emeril's Best Potato Salad Ever Challenge.

Runners-up were Cathy Fondren's Creamy Potato Salad and Trish Gray's Roasted Potato Salad. It was a spud-tacular showing from all five semifinalists.

You can read all of the recipes below. Just click to the next page to see the next recipe.

Katie's BLT Potato Salad

Katie Knapp

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Ingredients:

8 large red potatoes

6 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 lb. bacon

1 large white onion, chopped

2 c. mayonnaise

1 c. sour cream

3 tbsp. milk

2 ½ c. shredded lettuce

2 large tomatoes, chopped

2 c. Shredded cheddar cheese

Ingredients:

1. Wash and boil potatoes until tender. Let cool.

2. Chop and cook bacon and onion together, until bacon is crispy. Drain grease into a bowl and reserve.

3. In a small bowl mix mayonnaise, sour cream, bacon drippings and milk. In a large bowl, combine potato, eggs, and the onion-bacon mixture. Add mayo mixture to potato mixture and toss. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

4. Served topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.

Cathy's Creamy Potato Salad

Blytheville, Ark.

Ingredients:

8-10 large baking potatoes (such as Idaho or Russet), unpeeled and left whole

3 eggs

8-10 slices of bacon, cooked & crumbled

8 oz. cream cheese at room temp

6 oz. sour cream

1 c. mayonnaise

¼ c. yellow mustard

1 large Vidalia onion, chopped

1 small jar sweet Gherkin pickles, chopped

2?3 tbsp. sweet Gherkin pickle juice

1 small jar pimentos, drained and chopped

1 16oz. block sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Place potatoes in large pot and cover with water. Boil until fork tender and drain.Shock potatoes in a large bowl of ice water to stop cooking process.

3. Mix together cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, mustard and salt & pepper to taste. Then add chopped Vidalia onion, chopped pickles, pickle juice, pimentos and grated cheddar cheese.

4. By now your potatoes should be cool enough to peel and cut into cubes. After peeling and cubing, add to the creamy mixture. Toss to combine.

Roasted Potato Salad

Plano, Tex.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. baby red potatoes, unpeeled and quartered

1 tbsp. canola oil

4 green onions, thinly sliced (both green and white parts)

6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

¼ c. mayonnaise

1 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped

¼ tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Toss quartered potatoes in canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a rimmed cookie sheet and roast until browned.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine green onions, bacon, rosemary and mayonnaise. Once potatoes are done, add potatoes to bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Toss and serve warm.

Triple Red Potato Salad

Brownstone, Mich.

Ingredients:

3 lbs. baby red potatoes, unpeeled

1 large red bell pepper, cut into small dice

1 c. chopped red onion

4 eggs, hard boiled and chopped

¾ c. light mayonnaise

1 16oz. jar sweet pickle relish

2 Tbsp. yellow mustard

1 ½ tsp. seasoned salt (such as Lawry's brand)

½ tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. sugar

Directions:

Boil potatoes until tender (but not mushy), let cool in the refrigerator for an hour. Add all other ingredients to large bowl and toss well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Jan's Baked Potato Salad

Jan Graham

Olympia, Wash.

Ingredients:

3 large Russet potatoes; baked, peeled and cubed

3-4 eggs, hard boiled; peeled & diced

2-3 radishes, finely chopped

4 green onions, chopped

2 tsps. dried dill

1 ½ c. mayonnaise

1 tsp. yellow mustard

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place potatoes, eggs, onions, radishes, and dill in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

2. In a small bowl, mix mustard into mayonnaise. Combine with potato mixture. Adjust seasonings to taste. Mixture should be moist -- you may need to add more mayo.