Tired of cold potato salads? German potato salad is best served warm and offers a balance of big flavors from bacon and vinegar - when made correctly.
Served hot or warm, pungently tangy from its vinegar dressing and chock-full of bacon flavor, German potato salad should be a welcome change from the cold, often bland comfort of American-Style. The secret to turning plain old potato salad into an exotic ethnic dish is in the choice of ingredients. If you try this recipe, be sure to stick as close to the ingredients described here as possible.
Potatoes Use small to medium red potatoes and cut them before boiling. This will dramatically cut down on the cooking time. I've tried russets and Yukon Golds, but they became dry and crumbly after being subjected to a rolling boil. Use heavily salted water to ensure the potatoes are well seasoned.
Mustard Use only a whole grain German-style mustard. This type of mustard has whole seeds and a pure mustard flavor the I prefer. Using a Dijon style cracked or country-style mustard adds a strong white wine flavor that I was trying to avoid.
Bacon The beauty of this potato salad dressing is that it is prepared using a small amount of the fat rendered from a half a pound of cooked bacon (This bacon is crumbled into the potato salad as well). I've tried vegetable and olive oils and they leave the potato salad too flat.
Vinegar Choosing the right vinegar to balance out the bacon fat is also key. While cider vinegar is typically the vinegar of choice when preparing potato salads, I've found plain white distilled vinegar offers a nice clean acidity without masking too much of the bacon flavor. The recipe typically calls for 1 cup of vinegar, but I've found that while this is the right amount of liquid for the dressing, it makes the potato salad way too harsh. The secret? Cut ˝ cup white distilled vinegar with ˝ cup water to get the perfect taste. Use the water from the just-boiled potatoes to give the dressing more body.
Potatoes Use small to medium red potatoes and cut them before boiling. This will dramatically cut down on the cooking time. I've tried russets and Yukon Golds, but they became dry and crumbly after being subjected to a rolling boil. Use heavily salted water to ensure the potatoes are well seasoned.
Onions Sauteed onions are a must. Raw onion is just too harsh in this recipe. After trying yellow, red, white, and Vidalias, I found that you really can't go wrong with any of them. Use your favorite, or anything that you happen to have on hand.
German Potato Salad
Unlike a nonstick skillet, a traditional iron skillet will allow the bacon to form caramelized bits on the skillet bottom. This will result in a richer tasting dressing and a more flavorful salad.
2 pounds
small to medium-size red potatoes (1 to 2 inches in diameter), unpeeled, scrubbed and halved if smaller or quartered if medium.
Salt
8 oz
bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces
1
medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
1/2 tsp
sugar
1/2 cup
white vinegar
3 tbs
whole-grain German-style mustard
1/4 tsp
black pepper
1/4 cup
chopped fresh parsley (adds color and freshness)
Place potatoes, 1 tablespoon of salt and water to cover in a large pot, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce temperature and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes) Reserve 1/2 cup potato cooking water, then drain potatoes, return to the pot and cover to keep warm.
While the potatoes are cooking, fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a towel lined plate and pour off all but 1/4 cup of the bacon grease. Add onion to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally over medium heat until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Add vinegar and reserved potato water; bring to a simmer and cook until the mixture is reduced to about 1 cup, about 3 muinutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in mustard and pepper. Add the potatoes, parsley and bacon and toss to combine; adjust seasoning with salt.
