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.
Instructions
- 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
- Can I make this ahead of time? If serving a crowd, this potato salad is best made fresh. 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.
Similar Recipes
Looking for other great potato recipes? Check out some of these Our Best Bites favorites:
- Classic Potato Salad
- Garlic-Rosemary Roasted Baby Potatoes
- Crash Hot Potatoes
- Lemon Greek Potatoes
- Smoky Oven Roasted Potatoes and Onions
Did You Make This?
I’d love to hear from you! Snap a picture and tag me on Instagram, then come back and give this recipe a rating!
Print
German Potato Salad
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6-8
Description
German potato salad is served warm, sprinkled with crispy bacon and tossed in a tangy mustard vinaigrette dressing.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds small baby potatoes (red, Yukon gold, etc.)
- 6 ounces bacon (about 1/2 of a standard package)
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoon Creole mustard (or a mild coarse-grain mustard, not a strong one in the stout little glass jars)
- 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 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. 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.
Notes
This potato salad is meant to be eaten warm, but I actually really enjoy the leftovers cold as well.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Questions & Reviews
Long time reader here. I have been making this recipe for office potlucks for four years running. It’s one of my husband’s favorites and I make it all year long!
Some tweaks that have worked well for me after much experimentation:
– Since there’s no creole mustard to be found where I live, any kind of sweet mustard will do (I prefer Stonewall Kitchen Bourbon Molasses Mustard)… and I’m VERY generous with it 😀
– In the fall/winter I substitute apple cider vinegar for white wine, and maple bacon for regular (and I always double the bacon quantity too)
– The potatoes get more flavor coaxed out of them if roasted in the oven instead of boiled (though boiling is easier/faster)
– Most crucially: I always make sure I let the potatoes sit in the dressing for AT LEAST 12 hours in the fridge. Then I reheat, mix in the fresh dill and bacon, and we’re good to go!
Thank you for the wonderful recipes as always, ladies 🙂
Awesome tips! So glad you love it!!
Ahhh, I’m making this and it says add salt and pepper but there are no measurements listed?
Forgive me, I try to avoid “stupid questions that have already been answered or are common sense.” But, I signed up to take a potato salad to a funeral luncheon. Would this work? If I cooked it, brought it to the church to sit in the kitchen for an hour would it still be good, or gross and congealed (SP?)? Should I attempt to hurry back to the kitchen to microwave it before serving? Thanks.
Not stupid at all! 🙂 You know, I bet you could keep it warm on the lowest setting of your crock pot, then you get the best of all worlds! 🙂
Who cares if the potato salad has a culturally acceptable name?! It could be called Kate’s spud throw together and I would still love it. 🙂
My intent wasn’t to be critical of your recipe, only that this type of mustard is not that popular here in Germany. Mayo in potato salad isn’t popular either. The link you provided states that majority of the Germans that settled in LA were from the Rhineland area and the Swiss border region which indicates that there was a strong Swiss/French influence anyway and as they married may French it could be how creole mustard can be attributed to have some German roots. The Rhineland region only represents a small portion of Germany and the tastes vary from region to region, much like in the US. There are many types of mustard here but creole is not a popular version.
Well, this recipe doesn’t have mayo in it, so we don’t have to worry about that. 🙂 I use Creole mustard because it’s my favorite and a good, universal coarse-grained mustard, but feel free to use whatever you like best.
Will definitely try this salad as it sounds yummy but as an ex-pat living in Germany I can say that regular potatoes are more popular than the red ones. In fact, the red ones aren’t very popular here. Also, you’d be hard pressed in Germany to find “creole” mustard. Maybe this should be an “American” German salad but the general gist is right. They do love pork in everything.
I can’t speak for the potatoes, but Creole mustard may not be as un-German as you think–Germans were early settlers of Louisiana and they form Cajun and Creole culture.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Coast
Creole mustard is far more German than French (which is kind what you think of with Creole/Louisiana culture).
I made this for a party yesterday and it was great. I did make it the night before and it turned out fine reheating it (I had asked about it in a comment above… thanks for the info).
Although… when I went to reheat it in the microwave, the bowl got caught on the microwave spinny thing and it shattered on the kitchen floor (the spinny thing, not the bowl). Oh well – the salad was still tasty!
How much salt and pepper?
Mmm. I love german potato salad. I use my great grandmother’s recipe and we use cider vinegar with a little sugar and plenty of bacon. its pretty much to die for in my opinion. i am not a huge fan of mayo or mustard (or eggs now that you mention it), so german potato salad rocks my world.
I’m so glad you posted this! I tried German Potato Salad a couple of weeks ago in Fredericksburg (TX) and have been searching for the perfect recipe to try ever since! 🙂 And I have complete faith that yours is the ONE.
We love German Potato Salad in our house- but my mom’s recipe calls for the cooked potatoes to crisp up in the bacon drippings, then you add in hot dogs and sausage, and diced pickles, with a few tablespoons of pickle juice. You cook it in the skillet for 5 minutes more so all the flavors blend. The pickle juice gives it the vinegar/dill flavor your recipe calls for. But obviously the sausage and hot dogs make it a main dish- and not for someone watching their calories! We serve it with the mustard and ketchup on the side to dip the potatoes in.