German Potato Salad

Contains:  Nightshades (you can omit the paprika), eggs.  Is:  Paleo, Whole30 (if properly-sourced bacon), dairy-free.

I just found, 1.5 years later, where I packed my copy of Paint Shop Pro!!! Loaded it onto this laptop, and had fun with the logo. (This post written 9/30, so you should see some other PSP-enhanced photos prior to this recipe showing up…)

This is fairly authentic.  I did not use red potatoes exclusively, but there’s also no mayonnaise in here.  I added celery for crunch.  The ideal is to serve warm, which was my goal here, but due to the vagaries of pot luck a distance from home, we served at room temperature.  There’s bacon, and apple cider vinegar.  And some recipes include eggs, and since I make my own eggs… why not?  I did add capers.

AND:  the word on the street is that there is not one genuine German potato salad that covers all of Germany’s eating habits.  There’s regional variation.

Ideally, serve immediately at home, but sometimes one has to do what one has to do.  It was a two hour trip to an outdoor BBQ, and we didn’t eat for another couple of hours.  (I had ice packs.)

Close-up time.

I was too busy to be taking prep photos, and as I only topped with the egg and bacon just prior to serving, no photos were taken until at the site, and lighting was sub-optimal in the interior room from which we served most of the food.  Yes, this pot luck happened about a month or so ago, but potatoes are great, and with proper storage… last a long time.

Prep Time:  45 minutes.
Cook Time:  40 minutes.
Rest Time:  Not needed.
Serves:  There were 20-25 of us at the pot luck and I came home with about 1/5 remaining…. 
Cuisine:  German.
Leftovers:  YES!  Refrigerate.  The bacon will not retain crispness, but this won’t matter.

• 2.5 pounds potatoes (about half red, about half gold).
• 5 slices bacon.
• 1/2 red onion, thin-sliced and chopped.
• 1/4 cup / 60 mL celery, chopped.
• 1 large scallion/green onion, chopped.
• 1/2 cup / 120 mL apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup / 60 mL water.
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon mild paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• Ground pepper to taste
• 0.25 cups / 60 mL capers, rinsed and drained.
• 3 hard boiled eggs.

Cut the potatoes into large chunks of similar size – maybe 2 inch diameter chunks.

Bring to a boil in salted water which covers.  Reduce to a low boil, and allow to cook for 15 minutes, uncovered.

Drain and remove.  When just cooled enough, slice or chop into smaller portions for eating.  Place in large serving bowl.

Cook the bacon strips in a skillet until done (which will depend on your bacon).  Crispy is ideal.  Remove bacon to a paper towel on a plate to drain.

Reserve about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the skillet and remove the rest.  Add the onion to the skillet, and cook until translucent, but do not brown.  Add the celery and scallion, cooking for about 2 minutes while stirring.

Remove this and top the potatoes with the onion/celery/scallion/bacon fat from that skillet.  Return the skillet to the cooktop.

Add the apple cider vinegar, the water, and the four seasonings to the skillet, and stir, bringing the liquid up to a boil.  Cook another minute, then pour over the potatoes.

Add the capers to the potatoes, and gently but thoroughly mix everything together.

If you are planning on serving immediately (while still warm), slice the eggs and crumble the bacon over the top of the dish, and serve.  If you are serving this later, you may serve without re-heating, but if you do:  nuke in a microwave for one minute, mix, then nuke a second minute.  Mix again, THEN, add the eggs and bacon just prior to serving.

Whether served cold or warm, adding the bacon just prior to serving will help it retain its crispness.

Fresh parsley would also be a good topping.

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Oh, one of the lovely dishes also featured at this BBQ:  Shrimp and veggies on skewers…

All grilled to the right level of perfection!

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.Shared at:  Fiesta Friday,  Full Plate Thursdays, Homestead Blog Hop,