This German Potato Salad is the potato salad for people who think they don’t like potato salad (and those of you who do!). Instead of mayonnaise dressing, it has a vinaigrette dressing and it’s actually served warm. It’s great for potlucks and picnics because you don’t have to worry about keeping it cold, and it’s also a little more sophisticated than your average potato salad. Plus, it has bacon in it. And a good, solid Our Best Bites rule is that bacon makes everything better, right?
Ingredient Notes
- Potatoes – This recipe calls for small red potatoes. This variety holds it’s shape well and is perfect for salads. Yukon gold would also work. I would avoid russets, as they would likely not hold up as well to mixing.
- Dill – You can use fresh or dried dill.
- Creole Mustard – Zatarain’s and Tabasco are both great national brands, but if you can’t find them, try a coarse mustard that’s in a squeezy bottle and not a jar. Walmart actually has a great store-brand coarse mustard that’s not too strong and has a really nice flavor.
How to make German Potato Salad
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While the water is heating, quarter or slice some red potatoes. When the water comes to a boil, add the potatoes and cook until you can pierce them with a fork but not to the point where they are mushy or falling apart. Drain the potatoes and run some cold water over them.
- While the potatoes are cooking/cooling, cut 6 ounces of bacon into bite-sized pieces. Place the bacon in a cold skillet and then turn the heat up to medium and cook until the bacon is crispy. While the bacon is cooking, whisk together some vinegar, water, sugar, salt, pepper, and mustard. Set aside. Remove the bacon from the skillet with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the drippings in the pan.
- Add some minced onion and minced garlic and cook until fragrant and the onions are translucent. Add the vinegar/mustard mixture and turn the heat to high. Cook on high for about 3 minutes or until the dressing has reduced by about 1/3. Remove from heat and add the cooked potatoes. Gently toss the potatoes in the dressing and let it stand for about 5 minutes. Add the bacon and dill and gently toss again and then transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with fresh dill sprigs and serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
If serving a crowd, this potato salad is best made fresh. While the flavor is super delicious after sitting in the fridge for a while, the potatoes really start to absorb the liquid and it can dry out a little. If you know you’ll be running short on time, you can definitely mix up your dressing ingredients ahead of time. You could also prep your garlic and onions and even cook your bacon, just remember to reserve some of the drippings to cook your garlic and onions in later. Store any pre-prepped ingredients in sealed containers in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Although traditionally served warm, I actually really enjoy leftovers cold out of the fridge, so you could make this one day and enjoy it cold or reheated for lunch throughout the week. Just know that when you reheat it, your potatoes will likely break down and lose shape.
German Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pounds small baby potatoes red, Yukon gold
- 8 ounces bacon 1/2 of a standard package
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoon coarse grain mustard or dijon
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dry dill
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While the water is heating, quarter or slice the potatoes. When the water comes to a boil, add the potatoes and cook until you can pierce them with a fork but not to the point where they are mushy or falling apart. Drain the potatoes and run some cold water over them.
- While the potatoes are cooking/cooling, cut 6 ounces of bacon into bite-sized pieces. Place the bacon in a cold skillet and then turn the heat up to medium and cook until the bacon is crispy.
- While the bacon is cooking, whisk together the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, pepper, and mustard. Set aside. Remove the bacon from the skillet with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the drippings in the pan.
- Add minced onion and garlic and cook until fragrant and the onions are translucent.
- Add the vinegar/mustard mixture and turn the heat to high. Cook on high for about 3 minutes or until the dressing has reduced by about 1/3. Remove from heat and add the cooked potatoes.
- Gently toss the potatoes in the dressing and let it stand for about 5 minutes. Add the bacon and dill and gently toss again. Give it a taste and add additional salt as needed, and then transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with fresh dill sprigs and serve immediately.
Questions & Reviews
I love your site and have followed for what seems like forever:) ps i was sent to swoon you with my love for food from cupcake diaries:) thanks so much for all you do!!!!!
As someone who hates mayo, this sounds promising. If only I had a picnic coming up!
The 4th of July is fast approaching!
This is perfect! Exactly what I needed to use up all of my little yellow potatoes. thanks!
this sounds good. though, just so you know german potato salad usually has yellow potatoes in it. not red.
It’s about time OBB has a potato salad recipe! Co-inky-dinkily, not too long ago I was searching the site for a warm dill potato salad. Guess this will work! yay!
Hey, how about some recipe posts for egg rolls (a good recipe version is on the back of the egg-roll wrap packing), mac-n-cheese, and loaded oatmeal cookies (lower-fat and less sugar)?
Funny thing, I’m Korean and my brother is German and I grew up on this. My mom made this and a Korean dish to keep our heritage. Food evokes memories!
This looks so good, because I can’t stand the stuff in normal potato salad–hard-boiled eggs, pickles, and mayo. Quick question though: is there something I could substitute for the mustard, since I’m not a fan of that either?
Hmmmmm…that’s tough. *IF* you use something like Creole mustard, the mustardy flavor is very mild; definitely not as tangy as yellow mustard or as strong as Dijon/wine-y mustards. But if you 100% can’t stand mustard, I’d try leaving it out altogether and then taste the potatoes and if they need a little something extra, try adding just a TINY bit of mustard to see if that helps.
Yum I love potato salad! I have several recipes that I rotate through and will have to add this one to the rotation. I also recently made a mayo free version with a tangy vinaigrette and corn that was a nice change from the standard version.
Here is that recipe in case you are interested:
Corn-and-Red Potato Salad:
http://www.kitchen-concoctions.com/2011/06/recipe-i-forgot-all-about.html
Do you think this would be good reheated? The one thing I like about cold potato salad is that I can make it ahead of time… But, I am kind of burnt out on my usual mayo based cold recipe. I am throwing a Bavarian Birthday Bash for my husband in a couple weeks and I thi k this will be perfect!
Oh, definitely! We ate the leftovers the next day. You can just nuke it in the microwave or stick it in the oven for a few minutes.
This sounds like a great recipe!