Warm Potato Salad (Earls Restaurant Copycat)

This potato salad is the MOST delicious potato salad from Earls Kitchen + Bar, a Canadian casual dining restaurant. I managed to recreate a version of it here! 

Every time I go with Walt or my girlfriends, I always make sure I get the Blackened Chicken, as the potato salad comes as a side with it. 

I took the opportunity to go to Earls for a few dinners and extra wine nights with the girls so that I could do some very important research on recreating this potato salad recipe at home. Fun was had!

Walt now only wants this version. The secret? The bacon grease. SO GOOD!

Ingredients Needed

These are the ingredients you’ll need to create a creamy, lip-smacking potato salad. 

For the potatoes:

• Baby potatoes – Measure 6 pounds of baby potatoes. No peeling required, but do wash and brush them clean! 
• Frozen corn – Prepare 6 cups of frozen corn (or fresh ones if your state is blessed with them! Looking at you, Iowa and Nebraska). 
• Garlic cloves – Peel 12 garlic cloves. Don’t mince, chop or slice, we want them whole. 
• Olive oil – 4 tablespoons olive oil. 
• Salt and freshly ground pepper – To taste.

For the salad dressing: 

• Sliced bacon – 2 pounds (2 packages) of sliced bacon. Try your best to find one that has equal parts fats and lean meat, as we do want the bacon grease.
• Bacon grease – From the sliced bacon above. 
• Mayonnaise – 1 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellmann’s).
• Sour cream – 1 cup of sour cream. Get at least 14% fat, not light or fat-free for the best results.
• Lemon juice – 4 tablespoons lemon juice. Freshly squeezed or bottled is fine! 
• Fresh dill – Chop 1 cup worth of fresh dill. 
• Parmesan cheese – Grate 2/3 cup of parmesan cheese. 

For garnishing: 

• Chives (Optional) – Thinly sliced chives, for garnish. Or, green onions. 

How To Make Warm Potato Salad

Let’s make Earl’s warm potato salad just like the real thing (cough, cough OR BETTER)!

Step One: Preheat your oven to 425°F.  Line large two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  

Step Two: Cut the potatoes into halves or bite-sized pieces. If the potatoes are slightly bigger, quarter each baby potato.

Step Three: Place the potatoes in a single layer on the parchment paper-lined baking sheets.  

Step Four: Sprinkle the corn and garlic evenly over the top. Brush the olive oil over the potato, corn, and garlic cloves, ensuring the garlic is well coated with oil.  Sprinkle pepper and salt.

Step Five: Roast the potatoes for about 30-40 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden. You don’t want them burnt, just a nice golden. 

Step Six: Meanwhile, cut each strip of bacon into large pieces (I usually cut each strip into about 4 to 5 pieces). Cook over medium heat in a frying pan until cooked, then remove to a plate lined with a paper towel. Reserve the bacon grease. 

• Pro Tip: You have to reserve the bacon grease – it’s the secret ingredient to making this a darn good potato salad!

Step Seven: In a small bowl, make the salad dressing. Mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, dill, parmesan cheese, and bacon grease. Stir well to combine.

Step Eight: When your potatoes are done, remove them from the oven. Remove the roasted garlic cloves from the baking sheets, and transfer them to a cutting board. 

Step Nine: Mince the garlic cloves into small pieces. Add the roasted garlic to the mayonnaise dressing, and stir until well combined.  

Step Ten: Put it all together. Transfer the baked potatoes into a large bowl, followed by the corn, bacon, and salad dressing. Mix it all together.

Step Eleven: Sprinkle with sliced chives. Serve warm, and enjoy any leftovers cold.

Frequently Asked Questions

Expert Tips

One of my go-to Pro Tips is to smash whole garlic cloves under one side of a knife, pressing down with the ball of your palm. The secret for maximum garlic aroma! 

Having guests over? Serve the potato salad atop fresh, crisp lettuce in a small bowl so your side dish looks more presentable!  

What To Serve With This Recipe

I cannot think of anything that doesn’t go well with a potato salad (especially one with bacon bits). From summer barbecue parties to winter holiday dinners, it is a perfecr side dish – it tastes bright and creamy and very simple to make!  

If you need some inspiration for what to serve with potato salad, start with these lunch or dinner recipes: 

• Pork Tenderloin
• Burgers
• Steak
• Lasagna or Bolognese pasta
• Creamy zucchini pasta
• Greek chicken kebabs
• Baked cranberry and rosemary chicken 
• Shepherd’s pie 

Storage & Reheating Instructions

Leftovers of this potato salad should be kept in the fridge, and sealed for up to 5 days. When you are ready to serve, simply have it cold. If you prefer, you can microwave the desired portion in 1-minute increments until it is warm. Sprinkle extra chives or green onion if desired. Enjoy! 

Earls Potato Salad Recipe

by Cassandra Morris

This potato salad is the MOST delicious potato salad from Earls Kitchen + Bar, a Canadian casual dining restaurant. I managed to recreate a version of it here!

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Ingredients

• ▢ 6 pounds baby potatoes not peeled, halved
• ▢ 6 cups frozen corn
• ▢ 12 garlic cloves
• ▢ 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ salt and freshly ground pepper
• ▢ 2 packs of bacon chopped
• ▢ 1 cup mayonnaise
• ▢ 1 cup sour cream 14%, not light or fat-free
• ▢ 4 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
• ▢ 1 cup fresh dill chopped
• ▢ 2/3 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
• ▢ 3 ½ tablespoons reserved bacon grease
• ▢ thinly sliced chives for garnish

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 425F. Line large two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Cut the potatoes into halves, bite-sized pieces if the potatoes are on the slightly bigger side quarter each baby potato.
• Place the potatoes in a single layer on the parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
• Sprinkle the corn and garlic evenly over top. Brush the olive oil over the potato, corn, and garlic mixture, ensuring that the garlic is well coated with oil. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and a small amount of salt.
• Roast the potatoes at 425 F for about 30-40 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden. You don’t want them burnt, just a nice golden.
• Meanwhile, cut each strip of bacon into large pieces (I usually cut each strip into about 4 - 5 pieces). Cook over medium heat in a frying pan until cooked, then remove to a paper-towel lined plate. Reserve bacon grease.
• In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, fresh dill, grated parmesan cheese, and bacon grease. Stir well to combine.
• When your potatoes are done, remove from the oven. Remove the roasted garlic cloves from the baking sheets, and transfer to a cutting board, where you will mince into small pieces. Add the roasted garlic to the sour cream and mayonnaise dressing, and stir until well combined.
• Pour potato and corn mixture into a large bowl. Top with the cooked bacon and combine it together using all of the dressing.
• Sprinkle with sliced chives and serve warm.