German Potato Salad Recipe
We love this German potato salad recipe made with a vinegar-and-mustard-based dressing that swaps oil for bacon drippings. Serve this one warm. It’s fantastic!
This German potato salad was a reader request, and we’re forever grateful for the nudge to work on it, as we’ve happily enjoyed it with dinner (and lunch) quite a few times over the last few weeks.
Unlike our creamy potato salad, you will serve this one hot. It’s lovely for potlucks and holidays, and it’s an easy make-ahead side for mains like pork chops, baked ribs, beer brats, and more (we’ve made a list below).
Key Ingredients
- Potatoes: We love creamy, yellow potatoes (Yukon Gold) for this salad, but red potatoes or fingerling potatoes would also be great. We keep the peel on.
- Bacon: Instead of making our dressing with oil, we use bacon drippings (it’s so good!). You’ll start this recipe by cooking bacon until crisp, reserving the crispy bacon for the salad and the rendered bacon fat for the dressing.
- Onion and Garlic: These add a lot of flavor, and the onion, which we quickly cook in the bacon fat, becomes sweet.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: The base of our German potato salad dressing. The tangy vinegar cuts through the heaviness of the bacon fat and genuinely makes the salad hard to stop eating.
- Mustard: We use two types of mustard—Dijon and whole-grain—to add a punchy kick to the dressing. If you only use one, stick with the Dijon.
- Chicken Stock: This keeps our potato salad from becoming dry. You don’t need much, but it lightens the salad a little. I also keep some on hand when reheating leftovers (remember, you serve this salad warm). As the salad sits in the fridge, it sucks up all the liquid, so adding an extra splash when reheating does wonders.
- Fresh Herbs: You won’t find any potato salad recipe on this blog without herbs, but they really make this salad better (again, lightening things up a bit and adding freshness). We love fresh dill and parsley.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make German Potato Salad
Tip 1: Cook the potatoes whole. We do this with most of our potato recipes (unless we are cooking really big potatoes). When you cook potatoes whole, the texture inside stays a bit fluffier and less waterlogged. That’s why when shopping for this recipe, we go for smaller potatoes.
To cook them, tumble them into a big pot, cover with at least an inch of water, add salt (be generous), and bring to a boil. Once you are at a boil, reduce to a simmer and let them cook until you can drive a fork into them easily. Whole potatoes take a bit longer, but we think it is worth it.
Tip 2: Render bacon for the dressing. What really sets German potato salad apart is the bacon dressing. So, go with a good thick-cut bacon, chop it into small pieces, and cook them until crispy and the fat renders. Since we really want the bacon drippings for this recipe, thicker-cut bacon tends to be a bit better.
As you cook bacon, do it over medium to medium-low heat. We like looking for the fat bubbling and foaming around the bacon, which is when you know the fat is rendering nicely.
Tip 3: Make the dressing in the bacon skillet. After removing the crisped bacon pieces, you will be left with rendered bacon fat. Use that for quickly cooking the onion, then follow up with garlic, chicken stock, vinegar, and both mustards. Keep this to the side, off the heat, until your potatoes are ready.
Tip 4: Let the potatoes sit in the dressing. When you can handle them, chop the potatoes into pieces, then add them to the skillet with the dressing. Toss gently, then leave them there for 10 minutes so they can absorb the dressing’s flavors. If, as they sit, the skillet looks too dry, add a splash more chicken stock.
Tip 5: Finish with bacon and fresh herbs. Just before serving, fold in your crispy bacon bits and the fresh herbs. Again, if the salad looks dry, feel free to add a splash of chicken stock.
Serving Suggestions
This potato salad has quickly become a year-round favorite. It’s great for summer potlucks alongside cookout classics like ribs, burgers, grilled chicken, and corn salad. But it’s equally excellent in the cooler months, paired with a pork loin roast, baked pork chops, roast chicken, or even meatloaf.
If you want to lean into the German theme, try this with either our fermented sauerkraut or our quicker-style fresh sauerkraut. Then add some grilled sausages or one of our favorite pork recipes and call it a day.
More of Our Favorite Potato Recipes
German Potato Salad
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PREP
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This warm German potato salad with a tangy dressing and bacon amazes me every time we make it. We’ve served this with BBQ mains, at potlucks, and as a side with pork tenderloin, meatloaf, and pork chops. It’s truly fantastic!
We use small to medium potatoes and cook them whole to prevent them from being waterlogged. If you have large potatoes or would like to speed up the cooking time, cut them into 1-inch pieces and expect them to take less time (10 to 15 minutes).
Serves 6
You Will Need
2½ pounds (1135 g) medium Yukon Gold potatoes (7 to 8 potatoes)
6 ounces (170 g) thick-cut bacon, diced
1 small sweet onion, quartered and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
⅓ cup (80 ml) chicken stock
¼ cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar
1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Sugar, optional (see tip below)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Directions
1Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water by at least 1 inch. Season heavily with salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook until the potatoes are easily pierced using a fork, 20 to 25 minutes.
2Drain the potatoes and let them cool in a colander.
3Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a small bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the skillet.
4Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more.
5Whisk in the chicken stock, cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and whole grain mustard. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then remove the skillet from the heat. Taste, and adjust with salt and pepper as needed. If the dressing is too tart, add a little sugar (see note in the tips section below).
6Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into bite-sized chunks. Add the potatoes to the skillet, season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and gently toss to coat in the warm dressing. Let it sit for 10 minutes to absorb the liquid.
7Fold the reserved bacon, dill, and parsley into the salad. Serve hot or warm. If the salad appears dry before serving, gently stir in an additional splash of chicken stock.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- This salad keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet or microwave, adding a small splash of stock to loosen it a bit.
- Optional sugar: Some German potato salad recipes call for sugar in the dressing to balance the vinegar. When using a sweet onion, we do not feel the need to add any sugar. That said, feel free to add 1 to 3 teaspoons of sugar to the dressing if you find it is too tart.
- The nutrition facts provided are estimates.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
a generous 3/4 cup (1 of 6 servings)
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Calories
280
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Total Fat
11.6g
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Saturated Fat
3.8g
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Cholesterol
18.7mg
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Sodium
564.3mg
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Carbohydrate
35.4g
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Dietary Fiber
5.2g
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Total Sugars
5.3g
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Protein
7.8g
