Every so often you come across a simple recipe that knocks your socks off. This is one of those recipes!
I have a favorite German deli not far from my office and every so often I get a hankering for some really good smoked brats.
This German style potato salad is the perfect accompaniment to those brats. So is a good mustard and French bread.
You can bake your own bread. It is so much easier than you think! Read about how to do it here. Go on, I encourage you to give it a try!
To start, you will want to get the potatoes going. Add enough water to a large pot to cover the potatoes. Place on the stove, bring to a boil, and cook until soft, about 25 – 30 minutes. Depends on how big your potatoes are.
Gather the rest of your ingredients together.
And the bacon.
Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.
Cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
Once the potatoes are soft drain them and allow them to cool until you can comfortably peel and slice them.
In a large bowl, add diced onion, cooked bacon, oil, vinegar, bacon, onion and salt & pepper. Taste and add more oil, vinegar, salt and pepper until you get the taste and consistency you like. I go pretty heavy on the vinegar and freshly cracked pepper.
Serve with smoked brats sautéed in the bacon fat, and a slice of freshly baked bread, oh my! A delicious, hearty meal on a cold winter night.
German Potato Salad
- 4-5 large potatoes
- 1/3 lb bacon
- 1/2 large onion, finely chopped
- 2-4 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Salt & pepper
Cook potatoes whole, in salted water. When potatoes are soft, drain and let cool.
Cut 1/3 lb bacon in small half inch pieces and fry till crispy. Drain cooked bacon on a paper towel.
When potatoes are manageable, peel them and slice them in a bowl. Not cube them but slice them.
Add thinly diced onion, vegetable oil, rice vinegar, salt and pepper.
Mix and keep adding a little oil and a little vinegar and keep stirring.
Keep tasting until it reaches right consistency.
Add salt & pepper. Be generous with the pepper.
You really can’t mess up this recipe. The amounts are suggestions to get you started. The original recipe called for 10 lbs. of potatoes. Goodness that’s a whole lotta potato salad!
If you like more bacon, add more! If you don’t like as many onions, decrease the amount. I personally love the crunch and sharp bite from the onions in this salad, but after cooking the bacon you could sauté the onions in the bacon fat to soften and sweeten their flavor. Play around with this recipe and tweak it till you get it the way you and your family like it best. Make it your own unique tasty creation! That’s what cooking is all about.
ENJOY!