German Potato Salad Heirloom Recipe

German Potato Salad Heirloom Recipe

Unlike a Northern German version of Hot Potato salad, with lots of sugar-- this Bavarian version is more savory, with a subtle taste of bacon and just a little bit of sugar. There is an unconventional "secret ingredient" my Mutti started to use, and it works! She made pounds of this every day at her Bavarian Delicatessen and it always sold out every single day.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine German

Keyword German Potato Salad

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1 5

Servings servings

Calories 236kcal

Author Debby - www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Equipment

Ingredients

5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes Russet potatoes are not recommended
1 small red onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 pound bacon strips completely optional, but we love it
1 tablespoon dill optional, but we like it
1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoons fresh cracked pepper approx
3/4 cup red wine vinegar white vinegar is okay, too
1/4 cup Unseasoned rice vinegar non-traditional, optional secret ingredient
1 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

Boil the potatoes, skin on, until fork tender (approximately 20 to 30 minutes) in water. Drain and allow to cool so that they can be picked up, and held into a clean tea towel.
TIP: I tested the theory of cutting along the middle of each potato, before boiling or steaming. It works! The peel slips off more evenly. Hold a potato in a tea towel and grip with one hand. Rub the peel off with the towel, and the other hand, and the peels should come right off!
Once all of the potatoes are peeled, cut each potato in half and then into fairly thin slices (about 1/4")into a large bowl.
Pour the vinegar (including unconventional rice vinegar, if using), salt & pepper, to the warm potatoes and wait for a few minutes, so that it absorbs.
Cut the bacon into "lardons" (thin strips) and cook until crispy. Reserve about 2 Tbsp of the bacon fat.
Add the bacon, onion, salt and pepper, and dill (if using).
Add the reserved bacon fat, and chicken stock.
Gently stir with a large spatula, being careful not to press the potatoes too much.
Add about 3/4 cups of the vegetable oil (you can always add more). Gently combine.
Add 1 teaspoon of white sugar, not too much!
Taste the salad. Adjust the salt, if necessary. Add a little more vinegar, so that it has a mild tartness to it.
The potato salad should have a nice sheen to it, but not be too oily. Add a little oil at a time, until you see a very light sheen.
I like to add the fresh parsley, last.
It's best served at room temperature.
It's delicious cold, but ideally, you want to serve it room temp-- never hot! That's Bavarian "blasphemy"!

Notes

NOTE: You want all of your ingredients to be prepped, because once you peel and slice the potatoes, you want to add the "dressing" so that it better absorbs into the potatoes.

Additional notes: I have received numerous private emails/comments that this is not an authentic potato salad. Please understand that there are many different variations of German Potato Salad-- from family recipes and depending on what region of Germany/Bavaria. This version is one that my mother, who was 100% Bavarian, made. I have another version that is very similar to what we ate during our various trips to Bavaria. You can find it here.

Nutrition