For Perfect Potato Salad, Add A Spoonful Of This Savory Spread

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Potato salad is one of those dishes that you can make differently every time and still call it potato salad. Of course, it's also okay to make it exactly the same each time because if it isn't broke, why fix it? After all, old-fashioned potato salad is good stuff. But with so many fun options at your disposal, it's kind of hard to resist getting creative once in a while. Chopped pickles, onions, olives, hard boiled eggs, peas, herbs, sriracha — a basic potato salad is like a blank canvas. You can even add a savory touch with bits of bacon. But for a truly perfect potato salad, take that bacon upgrade and elevate it even further with a spoonful of bacon jam. 

Bacon jam is a delicious condiment that combines sweet and savory notes into a near-perfect concoction that can be used on anything from burgers to cheese and crackers. It even provides a delicious and unexpected upgrade to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Made from bacon and other ingredients like onions, sugar, and vinegar, bacon jam is rich, sweet, and savory, and it's one of those ingredients that elevates just about anything it touches. 

Whether you like your potato salad warm or cold, bacon jam blends in smoothly with the creamy base of a potato salad, and the rich smokiness of the meat perfectly complements the tanginess of mayonnaise as well as the earthiness of the potatoes. In other words, it's the perfect way to add a boost of flavor and personality to an otherwise simple dish.

Adding bacon jam to your potato salad is as simple as mixing it with the mayonnaise and then tossing in the other ingredients. But the jam itself gives you plenty of options to play with the flavor that will ultimately bring your potato salad to the next level. It's easy enough to make on your own — simply add cooked bacon, chopped onions, brown sugar, some bacon fat, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and seasonings like salt and pepper, and cook everything until you've got a nice jammy consistency. You can strain out the solids if just want a smooth jam, or you can leave in the bacon and onion bits for added texture. You can use different seasonings to cater to your own taste, like give it a chili pepper punch or add some bourbon for a boozy take on bacon jam.

If you'd rather buy bacon jam so you have it on hand in a pinch, you've also got some pretty good options. It's popping up in grocery stores, and you can find a wide variety online in some pretty creative — and tasty — flavors. Some varieties are sweetened with maple syrup or spiced up with jalapeños, and you can always try a sampler pack like this one by Green Jay Gourmet on Amazon to taste them all. Others, like the one by TBJ Gourmet, are made with honey and habañero. It's well worth taking a deep dive into the flavors available, like berry, hot pepper, and of course, bourbon, to see which ones give your potato salad the kick that's just right for your taste buds.