German Potato Salad

5 (1)

Okay, okay, okay, while I love a good rich and creamy southern-style potato salad, sometimes I want something different. I love German potato salad it’s a little bit lighter on the palate with its tangy mayo-free vinaigrette dressing, and still has plenty of body and flavor, thanks to BACON. It makes a great side dish for grilled bratwurst, kielbasa, or anything you might be serving at your back yard summer BBQ!

What is German Potato Salad

German potato salad is a simple yet elegant dish featuring thickly sliced potatoes, bacon, onions, fresh herbs, and a tangy mustard vinaigrette dressing. The fat from the bacon is used to sauté the onions and acts as the fat in the vinaigrette, so everything has that wonderfully smoky bacon flavor. You can serve German potato salad hot or cold.

What Type of Potatoes are Best for Potato Salad?

Not all potatoes are equal. Russet potatoes, for instance, break down easily and are well-suited for things like mashed potatoes. Red potatoes hold up slightly better than russets, but a waxy potato like Yukon Gold will hold their shape even better. Personally, I love the color contrast of the red skins, so I went with red potatoes.

How Long Does German Potato Salad Last in the Refrigerator

You can keep this salad refrigerated for about four days. The dressing will absorb into the potatoes as it chills, so it may become slightly more dry as the days go on. You can either save some extra dressing to add just before serving, or make an extra batch to add later. 

What to Serve with German Potato Salad

German potato salad can be served hot or cold and makes a great addition to any potluck or BBQ spread. This week I served mine with my Glazed Pork Chops. It also goes great with sausage, like Bratwurst or Kielbasa! Just like creamy American potato salads, German potato salad also makes a great side dish for lunch items, like sandwiches.

German Potato Salad features thickly sliced potatoes, crispy bacon, onions, and a rich and tangy mayo-free vinaigrette dressing.

Servings: 6 (about 3/4c each)

Prep time: 10 minutes mins

Cook time: 15 minutes mins

Total time: 25 minutes mins

Ingredients

1. 2 lbs. small red potatoes ($2.40)
2. 1.5 tsp salt, divided($0.07)
3. 4 oz. bacon ($1.33)
4. 1 yellow onion, diced ($0.38)
5. 1 Tbsp stone ground mustard($0.07)
6. 1 Tbsp sugar ($0.04)
7. 1/4 tsp Freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
8. 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar ($0.25)
9. 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley ($0.20)

Instructions 

1. Wash the potatoes well, then add them to a large pot with enough water to cover the potatoes. Add 1 tsp salt to the water to season the potatoes as they cook. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat on to high, and bring the pot to a boil. Continue to boil the potatoes until they can easily be pierced with a fork (12-15 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, add the bacon to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the bacon is brown and crispy. Remove the cooked bacon from the skillet and leave the bacon fat in the skillet to cook the onions and make the dressing.
3. Add the diced onion to the skillet and continue to cook over medium heat in the bacon fat until the onions are soft and translucent.
4. Once the onions are soft, turn the heat down to low and add the mustard, sugar, pepper, ½ tsp salt, and the apple cider vinegar. Whisk the ingredients together until a light sauce forms, then turn the heat off.
5. When the potatoes are finished cooking, drain them in a colander and allow them to cool for a few minutes, or just until they’re cool enough to handle. Once slightly cool, slice the potatoes into ¼-inch thick half-rounds.
6. While the potatoes are cooling, roughly chop the cooked bacon and the fresh parsley.
7. Add the sliced potatoes, bacon, and parsley to the skillet with the onions and dressing. Toss everything until evenly combined and coated in dressing. Give the potato salad a taste and adjust the salt or other seasonings to your liking. Serve warm or refrigerate until ready to eat.

Notes

*This is a prepared mustard, not powdered or mustard seed.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.75cup Calories: 205kcal Carbohydrates: 28g Protein: 6g Fat: 8g Sodium: 764mg Fiber: 3g

Scroll down for the step by step photos!

How to Make German Potato Salad – Step by Step Photos

Wash 2 lbs. of small red potatoes well. Place them in a large pot and add enough water to cover them by one inch. Add about 1 tsp of salt to the water to make sure the potatoes are well seasoned. Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat on to high. Bring the pot to a boil, then continue to boil the potatoes until they are tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork (12-15 minutes, depending on the size).

While the potatoes are boiling, cook 4 oz. of bacon in a skillet over medium heat until the bacon is brown and crispy. Remove the cooked bacon from the skillet. Leave the bacon fat in the skillet as it will be used to cook the onions and make the dressing.

Add one diced yellow onion to the skillet with the bacon fat. Continue to cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent. The moisture from the onions should dissolve all the browned bits of flavor stuck to the bottom of the skillet from the bacon.

Once the onions are soft, reduce the heat in the skillet to low and add 1 Tbsp grainy mustard, 2 tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper, and ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar.

Whisk the ingredients in the skillet until they form a light sauce, then turn the heat off.

Once the potatoes are tender, drain them in a colander and let them cool for just a few minutes or until they are cool enough to handle. Slice the potatoes into 1/4-inch thick half-moons.

Roughly chop the cooked bacon and ¼ cup of fresh parsley. Add the sliced potatoes, bacon, and parsley to the skillet with the dressing.

Toss the ingredients together until everything is evenly coated in dressing and parsley. Give the potato salad a taste and adjust the salt or other ingredients to your liking.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Recipe by Cook Good Recipes