Here’s a traditional German Potato Salad recipe made with bacon, onion and a tangy whole grain mustard sauce.
German Potato Salad
If you’re looking for a potato salad to make and serve that is not too heavy, this is the potato salad to make. It’s very easy to make. It’s traditionally served warm instead of cold. But you can always serve it at room temperature if you don’t want to serve a warm dish.
This recipe comes from a favorite cookbook of mine: One-Hour Comfort by America’s Test Kitchen. ATK has the best recipes! This book is full of all of your favorite comfort food. I love it.
Here are a few recipes in the book that I can’t wait to try:
- French-Style Scrambled Eggs with Rosemary Candied Bacon
- Spicy Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup
- Parmesan Polenta with Mushroom Ragu
- Bubble and Squeak
- Hoisin Glazed Meatloaf
- Chopped Cheese Sandwiches
- Sweet and Spicy Pickled Red Onions
- Chocolate Cream Pie in a Jar
- Loaded Rice Crispy Treats
🛒 Ingredients Needed:
- red potatoes
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- bacon
- onion
- granulated white sugar
- white vinegar
- whole grain mustard
- fresh Italian parsley
✏️ How to make German Potato Salad:
*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.
- Place potatoes and 1 tablespoon of salt in a large saucepan; add water to cover by 1-inch, and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Reserve ½ cup ot the potato cooking water, then drain the potatoes; return the potatoes to the pot and cover to keep warm.
- While the potatoes are simmering, cook the bacon in a 12-inch skillet over medium-heat, stirring occasionally, until brown and crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate; pour off all but ¼ cup bacon fat. Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the sugar until dissolved, about 30 seconds. Add the vinegar and reserved potato cooking water; bring to a simmer and cook until the mixture is reduced to about 1 cup, about 3 minutes. Off heat, whisk in the mustard and pepper. Add the potatoes, parsley and bacon to the skillet and toss to combine; season with salt to taste. Serve warm.
➡️ Tips and Substitutions:
- Make sure you toss the potatoes in the skillet with the bacon drippings while still warm. That will help the potatoes absorb the flavor.
- Substitute Yukon Gold potatoes for the red potatoes, if desired.
- Ham or sliced apples are sometimes added in to a German potato salad.
✔️ What is the difference between regular potato salad and German potato salad?
American potato salads are typically mayonnaise-based. German potato salad is tossed in a vinegar-based dressing made with bacon drippings. It is usually served warm instead of cold, but some people prefer to serve it at room temperature.
❤️ What I Love About This Recipe:
- It’s different! You’ve gotta love a unique potato salad recipe.
- I love that it’s not mayonnaise-based.
- The tangy, mustard vinaigrette is delicious!
Favorite Potato Salad Recipes:
German Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pounds unpeeled red potatoes (if small, cut in half and if large, cut in fourths)
- salt
- 8 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 medium onion, chopped finely
- ½ teaspoon granulated white sugar
- ½ cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, add potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt. Add water to cover the potatoes by 1-inch, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes). Reserve ½ cup of the potato cooking water, then drain the potatoes; return the potatoes to the pot and cover to keep warm.
- While the potatoes are simmering, cook the bacon in a 12-inch skillet over medium-heat, stirring occasionally, until brown and crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate; pour off all but ¼ cup bacon fat. Add onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the sugar until it has dissolved, about 30 seconds. Add the vinegar and reserved potato cooking water; bring to a simmer and cook until the mixture is reduced to about 1 cup, about 3 minutes. Off heat, whisk in the mustard and pepper. Add the potatoes, parsley and bacon to the skillet and toss to combine; season with salt to taste. Serve warm.
Notes
- If preparing this recipe as gluten-free, just be sure to use brands of bacon and whole grain mustard that are known to be GF.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
