Potato Salad has to be one of the best make-ahead recipes there is! There are so many variations on potato salad as well. This recipe was from my German mother-in-law, and it has been a family favourite for generations.
What Makes This Recipe Special?
- This is a tried-and-true family recipe, handed down from generation to generation.
- If you are used to the North American or British potato salad versions, this will have far more flavour.
- You can make it ahead because it gets better after it sits for a while.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Yellow potatoes like Yukon Gold are closest to the traditional German varieties. Russets will work, but your salad will be a bit drier.
- Pickle juice - any sweet pickle juice and sweet relish will work. If you only have one of the other just double the quantity.
- Bacon- the family recipe didn't include bacon, but I can't resist adding it. You can omit it if you like.
- Real mayonnaise is a must here. The sour cream addition makes it a bit looser and adds complexity, but if you don't have sour cream on hand, it will still be good.
How To Make It
- One of the main things I learned from my mother-in-law was to cook the potatoes whole in their skins and peel them after they cool down a bit. As long as you are sure not to overcook them, they will not turn mushy as you stir in all the ingredients. Your potatoes will hold their shape better and be less 'mushy'.
- The other thing I learned from my mother-in-law was to cut the potato pieces into fairly small, uniform pieces. This took a lot of practice for me... for a medium-sized potato, make about 4 vertical slices one way and then turn the potato 90 degrees and make 3-4 more vertical slices. I have to use a cutting board to get my crosswise slices fine enough. I make cross slices no more than ½ apart. Maybe the smaller dice is so good because there is more overall surface to carry the delicious dressing?
- This salad tastes best if it has had at least 30 minutes for the flavours to meld, and you can make it even upto a day ahead of time.
- Take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving to let the flavours blossom.
Suggested Menu
Tequila Lime Squares
Tequila Ribs
German Potato Salad
BBQ Corn Ribs
Wine Pairing
Since this dish will presumably be a side dish, you most likely will match your wine to the main dish flavours. Having said that, a neutral Muscadet Sèvre et Maine or unoaked Chardonnay works with the flavours in the potato salad. An off-dry Pinot Gris would also be good.
Any robust red wine would work here as well, such as a Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz.
Related Recipes
German Potato Salad
A traditional salad uses a mix of mayonnaise and sour cream in the dressing. Sweet pickle juice and relish add some bright notes. Oh - and the added bacon is always a nice touch too!
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Ingredients
Potato Salad
- 5 medium potatoes (Yukon gold or white preferred)
- 3 hard boiled eggs
- 4 strips bacon reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat
Dressing
- 3 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 tablespoon green relish
- 2 Tbsps sweet pickle juice (like Bread and Butter or Sweet Mixed)
- 1 teaspoon mustard not Dijon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Scrub potatoes so skins are clean. Place potatoes with skins on, in a sauce pan big enough to hold potatoes in 1 layer if possible. Cover potatoes with about 1 inch of water and a pinch of salt. Bring water to a full boil, turn heat down to medium and continue to cook until just tender in the center. (Do not over cook or the potatoes may be mushy.) Depending on the size of your potatoes this may take 30-40 minutes. If you have to put potatoes in more than 1 layer submerge the larger ones and put the smaller ones on top partially covered. This way they will cook closer to the same time.
- While potatoes are cooking hard boil your eggs by placing them in a saucepan covered by 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat. Cover the pan and let them sit off the heat for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes drain and cover with cold water immediately. After several minutes continue to cool them in the fridge so they will peel more easily.
- Fry bacon until crisp being careful not to burn. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan. Drain bacon on a paper towel and crumble when cool.
- When potatoes are cooked, drain them and let them cool. When they cool enough to handle remove skins with a paring knife and dice into a fine dice. Aim for about ½" cubes.
- Pour warm bacon fat over warm potato cubes and stir in bacon crumbles.
- Peel eggs and slice up finely. Mix the egg into the potato salad cubes.
Dressing
- Mix all dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl and stir into the potato salad.
- Refrigerate until ready to use. Remove from fridge about 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Can be made a day ahead and leftovers keep for a couple of days in the fridge.
Wine Pairing
Since this dish will presumably be a side dish, you most likely will match your wine to the main dish flavours. Having said that, a neutral Muscadet Sevre et Maine or unoaked Chardonnay works with the flavours in the potato salad. An off-dry Pinot Gris would also be good.
Any robust red wine would work here as well, such as a Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz.
Nutrition
Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 158mg | Sodium: 1033mg | Potassium: 1008mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 282IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg
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