German Potato Salad Recipe

As a young adult, I was blessed with the opportunity to live with my aunt’s family for a few years. While living with them, we spent a year in Switzerland and over a month in Germany before moving to Seattle. My uncle is from Germany, so he introduced me to the language, the food, and the beer.

His German potato salad is one of his specialties, and I was lucky enough to snag the recipe. You will find that this potato salad is very different than the mayonnaise-based, American dish, but it is very tasty. This salad is a hit at parties and potlucks, but I suggest you label the dish to get cautious, conservative eaters to try it.

This is one of those dishes that gets better with time, so definitely make it the day before you plan on serving it. You can make a big batch because the leftovers taste great.

Ingredients:

• 10-12 Yellow Finnish Potatoes
• 1 large onion
• ½ - ¾ cup broth (chicken or vegetable)
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• 2 tbs. water
• ¼ cup, plus 1 tbs. oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Boil the whole potatoes until they are done, but still firm.
2. Drain the water, cover, and place in a cool place for 1-2 hours.
3. While the potatoes are cooling, chop the onion. Heat 1 tbs. of oil in a pan. Add the onion, and cook until it is brown and crispy.
4. Peel the skin off of the potatoes.
5. Slice the potatoes very thinly into a bowl. The large slicer on a cheese grater works well for this.
6. Add the browned, crispy onion, and toss gently together.
7. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the oil, vinegar, and broth.
8. Stir vinegar mixture into the potatoes.
9. If needed, add a bit of water to the potato salad. The consistency should be mushy, but not runny.
10. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
11. Add more vinegar, if needed (you’ll have to go by taste).
12. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours (or overnight).
13. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Optional: Crisp some bacon, and stir it into the salad before refrigerating. The traditional recipe calls for chicken broth, but I provided the option of using vegetable broth because that is how I make it. If you use vegetable broth and omit the bacon, this is a great vegetarian salad.

Serving Suggestions

This salad is often served with some sort of Wurst (German sausage, like Bratwurst or Bockwurst) and Brotchen (German rolls). If you are serving a vegetarian meal, which I tend to do, you can purchase some lovely faux sausages made with tofu, sundried tomatoes, chives (really, the possibilities are endless).

There is nothing like an outdoor barbecue with some good German food and beer with friends and family.