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German Potato Salad is a great alternative to the traditional American Potato Salad and has loads of flavour from a tangy, bacony dressing!

Who doesn’t love potatoes? They taste great whichever way you cook them, be it scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes or wedges!

German Potato Salad served on a platter

German Potato Salad

Hot bacon dressing, soft boiled potatoes and lots of bacon – what’s there not to like! If you are bored of the regularly creamy potato salad, this German Potato Salad is a must try. Flavours like you won’t believe it. It’ll be the first thing that’ll vanish at potlucks and picnics.

You will need baby potatoes for this salad. Its traditionally made with baby red potatoes but Yukon gold will also work. Leave the skin on because it adds more texture and flavour to this salad. The potatoes are boiled till tender and then tossed with the dressing.

Potatoes for German Potato Salad

Hot Bacon Dressing

The best part about this salad is the tangy, hot bacon dressing. It’s made with red onions, mustard, vinegar, sugar and bacon fat of course. It’s what makes this salad so unique and so yum! The onions are cooked in the rendered fat from the bacon and then everything is tossed together to make a delicious dressing for these warm potatoes. Don’t worry if it looks like there’s too much dressing. Once you toss it, the potatoes will soak it all up.

I love using thickly cut bacon for this so that there is enough fat rendered for the dressing. And I like my bacon on the crispier side because that crunch is amazing in this salad.

Make sure to use red onions here. The tanginess and that sharp flavour is super important here. White onions just won’t cut it.

This salad makes a great side and can be served warm or cold. So depending on the weather, you can either serve it immediately or chill it in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Closeup of German Potato Salad

More Salad Recipes for Picnics and Potlucks:

Creamy Cucumber Salad

Berry Cheesecake Salad

Italian Macaroni Salad

Lemon Dill Potato Salad

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German Potato Salad

By: Richa Gupta
German Potato Salad is a great alternative to the traditional American Potato Salad and has loads of flavour from a tangy, bacony dressing!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and carefully add the 2 pounds halved baby potatoes. Boil until fork tender, drain, and set aside.
  • In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the 5 slices diced thickly cut bacon until the fat starts to render, add the 1 medium finely diced red onion. Cook the onions and bacon for 5 more minutes.
  • Remove the onions and bacon from the pan and set aside in a large bowl. reserve the bacon fat for the dressing.
  • Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill, andยฝ teaspoon salt to a jar with the reserved bacon fat and shake well to make the dressing.
  • Add the boiled potatoes to the large bowl with bacon and onions and pour the dressing on top. Toss well to combine. serve warm or chill in the fridge for a couple of hours and serve cold.

Nutrition

Calories: 378kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 9gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 2857mgPotassium: 1049mgFiber: 6gSugar: 6gVitamin C: 47mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Salad
Cuisine: German
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Richa Gupta

Iโ€™m Richa, the cook, writer and photographer behind this little blog. Iโ€™ve grown up in the kitchen along side my mum and grandmothers and conversations in my family are always about the next meal. Iโ€™ve picked up their love for food along the way, and with this blog, I share my food story with you.

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