THE BEST German Potato Salad is a warm potato salad recipe featuring tender red potatoes and bacon in a tangy dressing for the ultimate summer side dish!
If you're a fan of potato salad, be sure to check out my Simple German (Swabian) Potato Salad {Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat}, Herb & Greek Yogurt Potato Salad, or Classic Potato Salad!
Summer vacation is right around the corner, y'all! Between that and Memorial Day weekend coming up, I would say that summer grilling season is upon us. And what goes better with dinner from the grill than potato salad? Even better if it's warm, bacon-loaded German Potato Salad!
What Is German Potato Salad?
It's the million-dollar question, y'all.
When Americans ponder potato salad, we often think of two distinct varieties. There's the mayonnaise-based potato salad popularized in the U S of A, of course, that's served cold. It typically features some combination of peeled Russet potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, pickles, celery, and often a touch of mustard.
And then there's German Potato Salad, which we tend to think of as being served warm and featuring unpeeled red potatoes. It's loaded with bacon and dressed in a delicious combination of vinegar and bacon grease.
The truth is, different regions of Germany have their own distinct styles of potato salad, and what Americans commonly think of as "German Potato Salad" -- like today's recipe -- is most typically associated with the Bavarian region of southern Germany. That being said, you will encounter different types of potato salad even across Bavaria!
So to summarize, every person's German Oma probably makes her potato salad differently. My mom is actually from Germany, but she always made us American potato salad growing up -- ha. My Oma and other relatives in Germany make a traditional Swabian potato salad, common to the Stuttgart area. And while the warm, bacon-loaded recipe in today's post is what we Americans typically think of as "German Potato Salad"...it's not actually found in that many areas of Germany. 😉
Nevertheless, it's positively scrumptious. So I'm going to unashamedly call it German Potato Salad (I'm half German, after all, so I can do that) and show you how to make it today!
How to Make German Potato Salad
Now that we've established that German Potato Salad has as many different definitions as there are stars in the sky, this recipe starts out in a pretty standard way. Wash some red potatoes, toss them in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, add plenty of salt, and simmer until tender.
Then comes the fun part! After draining and setting aside your potatoes, you get to start on the most delicious step — frying the bacon!
Once the bacon is cooked, don't discard that hot bacon grease! Instead, it's going to form your dressing by stirring in apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and sugar. After allowing the mixture to simmer for a couple of minutes, you'll add some minced garlic and then toss your cooked potatoes in the sizzling mixture.
The potatoes soak up all of that bacon-y, vinegar-y, sugary goodness, leaving you with a recipe that’s tangy, salty, and sweet all at the same time. Oh, and don’t forget to stir in your cooked, crumbled bacon and some fresh chopped parsley before serving. Holy moly, can't you just taste it???
Hot or Cold?
I think that this particular potato salad is best served hot or warm. However, it’s also tasty at room temperature, should it start to cool down before serving. It’s a side dish that can readily go from grillside to potluck to picnic without too much stress over keeping it on ice.
Of course, this potato salad (as well as any food prone to spoiling) should not sit at room temperature for more than an hour or two before being refrigerated. So if your picnic or potluck isn't starting right away, pop it in the fridge as soon as you make it!
Tips for Making German Potato Salad
- Scrub those potatoes before you boil them. And then be sure to cut the big ones into equally sized chunks to ensure even cooking.
- Always start your potatoes off in cold water before bringing them to a boil. If you put potatoes directly into boiling water, the outsides will cook immediately and the insides may take longer, resulting in potato salad that could have some hard and soft pieces.
- Don't forget to salt the water after adding the potatoes, which will flavor them from the inside out.
- After the potatoes are cooked and drained, let them steam (or "dry") a bit in their still-hot (but drained) pot. This will allow them to absorb the bacon grease-vinegar dressing more easily.
- Be very gentle when stirring the potatoes into the dressing. Otherwise, your dish may end up looking more like mashed potatoes.
So have I convinced you to try German Potato Salad this summer and/or add it to your Memorial Day or Independence Day menu? Whatever the occasion -- and whether it's like your German Oma's recipe or not -- I guarantee that it'll disappear like that!
More Summer Side Dishes
German Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pounds red potatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt, for boiling the potatoes
- 12 ounces bacon
- â…“ cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic, about 3 large cloves
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes and cut any large potatoes in half so that all of the potatoes are approximately equally sized. Place the 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 the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender when stabbed with a fork. Drain the water. Leaving the potatoes in the pot, return the pot to the still-hot (but turned off) burner. Leave the lid off of the pot and allow the potatoes to steam dry for a couple minutes.
- Set another large pot over medium heat and, using kitchen shears, cut the bacon strips into approximately 1-inch pieces directly into the pot. Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crispy. While the bacon is cooking, cut the potatoes into ½-inch thick slices, cutting any extremely large slices in half. Set aside. Once the bacon is done, remove the pot from the stove and use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces to a plate or bowl while leaving the bacon grease in the pot (I had about ¼ cup).
- Slowly and carefully add vinegar, sugar, Dijon, salt, and pepper to the pot of bacon grease. Place the pot back on the burner, bring the 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, until the garlic starts to turn a light golden. Remove the pot from the 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 the 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
Post originally published on May 19, 2014.
Ian
I'm kind of surprised to be giving this 5 stars based on other German potato salads I've had, but this recipe earned it. I was also skeptical of boiling the potatoes whole: it came out great! All of the tips were a step beyond where many bloggers go and helped make this dish come together. Thanks for sharing!
Ian
One extra note: I baked the thick-cut bacon in the oven on a tray for about 14 minutes and it worked great for this recipe - nice and crispy!
Samantha Skaggs
I appreciate your thoughtful note, Ian, and I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
Willem Scherr
Made it, LOVED IT! I doubled the recipe for a party but ended up using the full five pounds in the bag of potatoes and a full pound of bacon. Believe it or not, this salad makes awesome hash browns the next day!
Tracey
This recipe is absolute perfection! Ive made this a few times and is now often requested from others! Thank you!
PWang
Followed this exactly and it's an outstanding taste. My teen boys loved it. Next time I just need to make sure the potatoes are cut up smaller but other than that, perfect! Thank you!
Ilene P.
I just finished making this and it is so delicious! The ONLY thing I did differently was to cook my potatoes in my Instant Pot!
Dennis Manske
This looks very much like my Mother would make. (We are Germans...from Germany). The only thing I would suggest, flat leaf parsley. Curly parsley is a decoration. If you can source german mustard like Thomy, (which is always available on Amazon) you will really have perfection. Thank you 🙂
Samantha Skaggs
That's so funny, Dennis...my mom always talks about how they only used curly parsley (not flat) when she was growing up (in Germany). I wonder if it's a regional thing? She is from the Stuttgart area. And yes, authentic German mustard is the BEST! 🙂
Trixia Chisholm
Absolutely delicious and super easy to make. I didn't have bacon but used my cache of bacon fat for the dressing (approx 2.5 tbsp). The sauce turned out perfectly & I'll definitely make this dish again.
DebbieC
It’s delicious! Used less sugar and only 6 oz of bacon and it was plenty. Still wonderful lightly reheated the second day, too!
Brooke Hunkele
Do you think this would be okay to make then serve from a crock pot on "warm" setting?
Samantha Skaggs
I don't see why that wouldn't work, Brooke! 🙂
KL
Great recipe
Michael C
First time making warm German potato salad. Huge hit. Actual comments included, "I've had alot of warm German style potato salads, and this is the best tasting one I've had." I made two minor adjustments: I discarded about half the bacon grease and replaced it with olive oil. I also used about a 50/50 parsley to chive mixture. I guess potatoes, like meat, continue cooking a little after taking them off the heat and draining. They were perfect when I stopped the boil and drained, but after letting them steam dry for a few minutes, they had become much softer - like mashing consistency. I should have stopped a couple/few minutes earlier. I was worried they would mash up too much when stirred in, but they were still amazing even when a bit overcooked. This recipe goes in the "repeat often" club!
Nicole
This is so good! I didn’t have fresh parsley so I used dried and added a few chopped green onions. Was the perfect side dish for grilled sweet Italian sausages topped with sautéed peppers and onions on fresh rolls.
David
This was absolutely perfect along side some grilled bratwurst and pickled red cabbage! Combined with a strong Bavarian beer, you can’t come any closer to Germany without being there
Judi Koehler
Very delicious German Potato Salad!! Thank you for the recipe!
Anita Peduzzi
I would like to make this ahead of time but still serve it warm? How can I reheat it?
Samantha Skaggs
From the refrigerator, I'd transfer it to an oven-safe baking dish. Cover the dish with foil and reheat in a 325°F oven until warm, checking after 30 minutes (although it may take longer). Hope that helps! 🙂
Mary
Anita did you try reheating? How did it go?
Lisa Larson
Awesome!!!
Ken
Absolutely delicious! I followed the directions to a T, but used regular yellow mustard instead of Dijon. It turned out just like the picture. Thank you for sharing this.
James
Thanks for the recipe.