Old Fashioned German Potato Salad has perfectly crispy bacon, red onion, and is dressed with a dijon vinegar dressing. Bonus: it can be served either hot or cold! You’re going to love it!
Potato salad is an essential component to any family bbq. As kids, we never really understood what was supposed to be so alluring about potato salad. Cold potatoes coated in mayo? No thank you. We should have known better when the adults never made us add it to our plate, yet always went back for seconds themselves. By the time we finally got around to trying it for the first time, we had already wasted far too many potato salad eating years! Oh well, we are certainly making up for lost time now! However, our true love of potato salad didn’t start with that mayonnaise-loaded stuff we grew up with, but with German potato salad. German potato salad typically refers to Southern German style, and we are all about it. Forgo the mayo and enjoy this dijon vinegar dressing-based potato salad!
German Potato Salad vs: American Potato Salad:
In a Southern German Potato Salad, the dressing is made from bacon drippings and vinegar. In an American Potato Salad, the dressing is largely mayonnaise based. They are both equally delicious!
What is German Potato Salad called in German?
Kartoffelsalat is the name of German Potato Salad in the German language.
Potato Options:
You can use a wide variety of potatoes for this recipe as long as it has a thin skin that is pleasant to eat. Popular options besides the listed red potatoes include Yukon Gold, Yellow, Fingerling and New/Baby) potatoes.
Serving Options:
German Potato Salad can be served either warm or cold. It’s a matter of personal preference, and it is delicious either way.
Storage Instructions:
When chilling, you can simply cover the bowl in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. For longer term storage, this salad should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Since it can be enjoyed cold, no reheating is required.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious German inspired recipes:
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Very close to my moms passed down family recipe. Use regular potatoes, boil whole, peel and cut into bite sized chunks. Substitute brown horseradish mustard for the Dijon. Add dill pickle relish to taste. (Mom always diced Claussen dill pickles for a better flavor.)
It tastes great and authentic, thank you! But don’t kid yourself – prep is no 10 minutes.
Absolutely Delicious, my Mom always added a tsp. of bitters. I don’t know why never thought to ask. It’s Delicious either way.😋❤️