The Best German Potato Salad
With warm, tender red potatoes and a sweet, tangy dressing loaded with bacon and garlic, this German Potato Salad is a perfect side dish for any occasion, from a grilled dinner to a summer holiday potluck.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon salt (for boiling potatoes)
12 ounces bacon
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (about 3 large cloves)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Scrub potatoes and cut any very large potatoes in half so that all potatoes are of approximately equal size. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Reduce heat and simmer potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender when stabbed with a fork. Drain water. Leaving potatoes in pot, return pot to still-hot (turned off) burner. Leave lid off of pot and allow potatoes to steam dry for a few minutes.
- Set a large pot over medium heat and use kitchen shears over pot to cut bacon strips into approximately 1-inch pieces. Cook bacon, stirring occasionally, until crispy. While bacon is cooking, cut potatoes into 1/2-inch thick slices. Cut any extremely large slices in half. Set aside. Once bacon is done, remove pot from stove and use a slotted spoon to remove bacon to a bowl while leaving bacon grease in the pot (I had about 1/4 cup).
- To the bacon grease, slowly and carefully add vinegar, sugar, Dijon, salt, and pepper. Place pot back on burner, bring mixture to a simmer, and stir for a couple of minutes. Stir the minced garlic into the mixture and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until garlic starts to turn a light golden. Remove pot from heat and toss in the sliced potatoes, gently mixing until potatoes have absorbed all of the liquid. Carefully fold in the cooked bacon pieces and chopped parsley. Transfer potato salad to a serving dish and serve hot or warm. Potato salad should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours before refrigerating any leftovers.
Notes
Make sure that the pot is off of the burner and the bacon grease has slightly cooled before slowly and carefully adding the vinegar (in order to prevent the mixture from potentially bubbling up).