Grilled Foil Packet Jalapeno, Corn, and Bacon Potato Salad

This Jalapeno, Corn, and Bacon Potato Salad is a cinch to make using a foil packet and your grill. Tossed with a creamy cilantro dressing, this is sure to be a hit at summer BBQs. 

Grilled Jalapeno, Bacon, and Corn Potato Salad is such a hit at BBQs!

I feel like there are two kinds of people in this world. There are people who LOVE summer camp and there are people who think those that love summer camp are crazy. I fall firmly in the love it camp. I started going to camp in 6th grade and went every summer after all the way through high school, even becoming a counselor so I could stay alllll summer long.

The crazy thing is, I don’t tolerate heat particularly well, bugs and I aren’t on speaking terms, and I’m one of the least athletic people on the planet. You wouldn’t think summer camp would be my scene, but it totally was. I loved bonding with cabin mates over humidity-induced hair issues, telling stories about what may lurk in the murky greenish-gray depths of the lake, and staying up late giggling about our camp crushes.

But most of all, I loved hobo dinners. One night during the week we always had hobo dinners, which consisted of a burger patty, potatoes, and carrots wrapped in foil and cooked on a campfire. Nothing tastes better than a meal cooked over an open flame, especially if you’re a hungry tween who’s waited 25 minutes for it to be done.

Grilled Jalapeno Bacon Corn Potato Salad via NeighborFoodBlog.com

This Grilled Jalapeno, Corn, and Bacon Potato Salad is my gourmet take on those humble hobo dinners. I’ve never been a big fan of mayo-y potato salad, but this version cooked in a foil packet with jalapenos, corn, and onion is turning me into a convert. If you’ve never made a foil packet before, it’s super simple. Just make a giant T shape out of two pieces of foil, load it up with your ingredients, drizzle it with bacon grease (<<yes, you read that right), salt, and pepper then grill until the potatoes are tender and smoky.Put that pot of boiling water away and let the grill do the work for you!

grilled-jalapeno-bacon-potato-salad

The finished packets are tossed with a spicy cilantro honey lime dressing then generously sprinkled with crispy bacon. It’s amazing served warm or you can pop it in the fridge and serve it chilled whenever you’re ready.

The key to any great potato salad is to start with great potatoes. I love to use red skinned potatoes from Idaho because of their creamy texture and thin skin, which doesn’t need to be peeled. Look for the “Grown in Idaho” seal in your grocery store to make sure you get the very best.

Grilled Jalapeno Bacon Corn Potato Salad from NeighborFoodBlog.com

To learn more about the Idaho Potato Commission and what makes them unique, check out their website, and follow them on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter.

Grilled Jalapeno, Bacon, and Corn Potato Salad is such a hit at BBQs!

Grilled Foil Packet Jalapeno, Corn, and Bacon Potato Salad

Yield: 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound bacon
  • 2 pounds Idaho® red potatoes, cut into wedges or bite sized chunks
  • 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
  • 2 ears of corn, kernels sliced off the cob
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • Salt and pepper

For the dressing:

  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the grill over medium high heat (Mine was between 400°- 425° F).
  • Cook the bacon until crispy. Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel lined plate to dry. Reserve the grease.
  • Place two long pieces of foil in a T shape on a counter. Spread half the potatoes out in a single layer in the center of the T. Top with half the jalapeno, corn, and red onion.
  • Do the same thing with a second set of foil and the rest of the vegetables. Drizzle the vegetables with the reserved bacon grease and sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper.
  • Fold the foil over the vegetables and seal tightly. Place the packets on the grill for 10 minutes. Flip, then grill for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes can be pierced with a fork.
  • Meanwhile, make the dressing. Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • When the potatoes packets are done, place them in a large bowl and gently toss with the dressing and the cooked and crumbled bacon. Serve warm, or store in the fridge and serve cold. Before serving, top with additional cilantro if desired.
  • Did you make this recipe?

    Leave a review, or head over to Instagram and share a photo! Tag your projects with #neighborfoodies!

    Looking for more great foil packet recipes? Try these!

    Grilled Banana S’more Foil Packets

    smore banana 5

    Sweet Potato and Chicken Sausage Foil Packets

    Grilled Chipotle Sweet Potato and Chicken Sausage Foil Packets | Neighborfoodblog.com

    Grilled Lemon Tilapia and Vegetable Foil Packets

    lemon dill fish

    Disclosure: This post is sponsored by the Idaho Potato Commission. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep NeighborFood running!

    22 Comments

    1. I went to camp too as a kid through a teen and then did the counselor thing too but my camp experience was day and local. I couldn’t handle sleep away, the bugs, the camping, the not sleeping in my own bed. However if I knew I could eat things like this, well maybe it would have changed my mind. . maybe or maybe I’ll just cook this at home now. 🙂

    2. I think I’ve only ever been to summer camp twice with Girl Scouts. Maybe three times. We did mountain pies and of course s’mores but never hobo dinners. Smart to make potato salad on the grill. You’re at a picnic and grilling anyway – might as well through on the potato salad! Love all the flavors you have going on, esp that bacon grease.

    3. I loved summer camp as a kid too, especially the food! There are so many possibilities for foods cooked in foil pouches. This potato salad is so fun, and I love all the sweet corn in it to balance the savory potatoes and bacon!

    4. I’ve never been to a formal camp, but I grew up camping with my parents. We always made something in a foil packet. The flavor is unbeatable. Love these potato salad packets.

    5. I love how you packed all this deliciousness in a foil packet and threw it on the grill. Genius! This sounds perfect for the 4th of july!

    6. I love that you call your campfire meal a Hobo Meal! Oh and this is definitely a potato dish I am going to make soon!

    7. I loved camp, too! Which is funny because you’d never get me to go camping or hiking or anything remotely outdoorsy/woodsy now. I remember those foil packet dinners fondly though!

      This potato salad is SO creative! I never would have thought to grill everything like that, and I’m loving that jalapeno-corn combo.

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.