German Hot Potato Salad
German Hot Potato Salad
This German hot potato salad brings together tender petite red potatoes, crisp bacon and a warm, sweet-and-tangy vinegar dressing.
Onion, apple cider vinegar, mustard and a little sugar make a dressing that coats the potatoes without hiding that color and texture. Serve the salad warm alongside turkey or baked ham, or as part of a breakfast buffet.
The twist is in the potatoes: once cooked and briefly chilled, their cut faces are browned in bacon drippings until golden at the edges.
Watch my video to follow along step-by-step.
German Hot Potato Salad
Yield: 6–8 servings
Ingredients
3 lb (1,360 g) petite red potatoes
½ lb (227 g) bacon, cut into small pieces
Neutral oil, as needed
1 large onion (about 200 g), finely chopped
2–3 tablespoons (30–45 ml) chicken stock, just enough to deglaze the skillet
⅓ cup (80 ml) apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon (15 g) German medium-hot mustard
1 tablespoon (15g) Dijon mustard
1½ tablespoons (20 g) granulated sugar
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
¼ cup (10 g) chopped chives, optional
Method
Prepare and chill the pan
Cook the potatoes whole in salted water until just tender. Drain and let them steam-dry until cool enough to handle. Cut each potato once across its middle, then cut both halves from pole to pole to make four chunky pieces. Halve the smallest potatoes if quartering would make them too small.
Arrange the pieces cut-side up on a tray. Place in the freezer for 15–20 minutes, until cool and firm but neither frozen nor frosty.
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove it with a slotted spoon, leaving the drippings in the skillet.
Raise the heat to medium-high. Brown the potatoes in batches, placing a cut face against the skillet. Leave them undisturbed until golden at the edges, then turn to brown the other cut face. Add a little neutral oil between batches only if needed. Transfer the browned potatoes to a serving bowl.
Reduce the heat to medium. Pour off any excess fat, leaving enough in the skillet to cook the onion. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of stock and scrape up the browned bits, adding the third tablespoon only if needed. Stir in the vinegar, mustard and sugar. Simmer briefly, just until the sugar dissolves. Taste and season with sea salt and black pepper.
Spoon the hot dressing over the potatoes a little at a time, folding gently once or twice, until they are lightly coated. Add the bacon and chives, if using, and serve warm.
Combine the sugar, butter and water in a small saucepan.
Larder Notes
Choose petite red potatoes of similar size so they cook evenly. Halve the smallest ones rather than cutting them into quarters.
The freezer rest dries and firms the cut surfaces. Brown the potatoes while they’re cool, before they begin to freeze.
For the best texture, keep the browned potatoes, dressing and bacon separate until shortly before serving. Add the dressing gradually and fold in the bacon last.
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