Easy German Potato Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between German potato salad and regular potato salad? ›

There are two main differences between American and German Potato salads. American potato salad is usually tossed in a mayonnaise-based dressing and served cold. German potato salad is tossed in a vinegar-based dressing and is traditionally served warm (but you can totally serve it cold too! It's still delicious!).

The key is to allow the potatoes to dry and become cold before you make the salad. If you cut hot, boiled potatoes, they tend to crumble. If you wait until they had time to dry (may I suggest laying them out on a plate or casserole dish during this time) and cold, they cut nicer.

There's no reason at all, so my advice is to leave the skins on. The skin on a potato adds a nice texture and flavor to the potato salad and it's also the healthiest part.

To keep your salad from falling apart into mush, it's important to use the best potatoes for potato salad. Skip the russet potatoes and use a waxy variety instead, like Yukon gold, red potatoes or fingerlings.

You can use any, but I prefer a waxy potato such as a new red as they hold their shape better, especially if you are not serving it right away. If all you have is a bag of russets they work fine, but I suggest you bake them rather than boil or even roast them with salt pepper, oil, and the skins left on.

German Potato Salad Ingredients

Bacon: Bacon (and its grease) adds tons of meaty flavor to the hearty German potato salad. Onion: An onion, cooked in bacon grease, lends even more complexity and flavor. Vinegar: White vinegar adds tanginess that cuts through the richness from the potatoes and bacon.

Unpeeled potatoes.

The thin skins are usually tender after cooking and add color to the potato salad. Dice unpeeled potatoes into uniformly-sized pieces. Place in cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer until tender.

Yes, if your potato salad is a cold salad, as most are, allow the cooked potatoes to cool to room temperature before adding the dressing and other ingredients.

I wouldn't cut potatoes before boiling if I were making potato salad. You want to boil them whole with the skin on to keep them from absorbing too much water. Once the potatoes are fork tender, pour out the water and return the pan to the stove on low heat to dry the potatoes a bit. The skins will peel off easily.

Peeled, cubed potatoes cut into small, one-inch pieces should cook in 10 to 12 minutes, once the water reaches a boil. Larger pieces (about 2 inches across) may need longer, around 15 minutes. Medium whole potatoes should boil 20 minutes before they'll be tender.

How long should you boil potatoes? ›

In general small or cubed potatoes will take about 10 to 15 minutes to boil, while larger, whole potatoes will take between 20 to 25 minutes. To check potatoes for doneness, insert a knife into one.

Potatoes without seasoning are bland and flavorless, and salt adds delicious flavor. Potatoes are dense and require time to absorb some of the salt during cooking. That is why the salted water must be concentrated, claims Bon Appétit.

Signs your potato salad is bad: It's slimy, it tastes odd, it smells bad, it has black, white or green mold growing on it, it's been left out on the counter for over 2 hours (or less if outside in the sun), it's been in the refrigerator for over 5 days. ”If in doubt, throw it out!”

Boiling potatoes is a very simple process, all you need are the spuds and salted water! It doesn't matter the type of potato; Yukon gold, red potatoes, new potatoes, or russet potatoes can all be boiled either cubed or whole. You can also peel them or leave the skins on – it's totally your choice!

In German supermarkets, bags of mehlig kochende potatoes often have a blue label. The best-known varieties in Germany include: Adretta, Aula, Freya, Gunda (pictured top), Karat, Libana, Lipsi, Melina and Naturella.

American style “German Potato Salad” originated from German immigrants based upon the German Kartoffelsalat. But the true origin of this recipe may be southern Poland. Cuisine doesn't recognize countries borders so who knows for sure.

Field salad (Valerianella locusta), known as feldsalat in German, is used like lettuce in salad. It is also famously known as Rapunzel Lettuce, after the vitamin-rich food that cost a peasant family their only daughter in the Brothers Grimm fairy tale.

Salad Potatoes can often be described as “l*ttle Potatoes” or “Small Potatoes” and people mistakenly take them for potatoes too small to be like normal potatoes. However these potatoes are grown specifically for this smaller specification and skin finish.