Today, we’re diving into the heart of German cuisine with a classic side dish – German Potato Salad. This tangy, sweet, and hearty salad is a staple in German households, and now you can make it in your own kitchen!
Ingredients
- 4 lb. potatoes, cooked
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 3 Tbsp. flour
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 c. cider vinegar
- 1 c. water
- 4 green onions, sliced
Cooking Method
- Peel and cut potatoes in thin slices.
- Fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from grease and reserve 1/2 cup drippings to make dressing.
- Blend sugar, flour, salt and pepper.
- Stir into bacon drippings to make smooth paste.
- Add vinegar and water.
- Boil 2 to 3 minutes.
- Combine sauce, potatoes and onions in skillet.
- Turn skillet off.
- Cover with a towel (not a lid) and let stand at room temperature 3 or 4 hours.
- Sprinkle with bacon.
Calorie: 250
Total cooking time:4 hours
Difficulty level: Medium
The Day I Wrestled with German Potato Salad
If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I adore potatoes. I mean, who doesn’t love these versatile tubers? They can be mashed, baked, boiled or fried. And bacon? Don’t even get me started. But today, we’re not just talking about any old potato dish. Oh no, we’re diving into the fascinating world of German Potato Salad.
Tough Love with Potatoes
So, the first step was to get my hands on 4 pounds of potatoes and give them a good, hearty boil. Piece of cake, right? Wrong. This was like a high-stakes game of Hot Potato, except the potato was actually hot, and I was the only player. But hey, no one said cooking was easy (or safe).
Bacon: The Greasy Guardian
Next up was the bacon, a task that felt like I was doing a rain dance around my sizzling bacon bits. Six slices of bacon diced and fried until crisp. The aroma was intoxicating, and I had to remind myself that the bacon was for the salad, not for a sneaky snack.
The Sweet and Savory Symphony
Now, this is where things got interesting. Half a cup of sugar, three tablespoons of flour, two teaspoons of salt, and a quarter teaspoon of pepper. A blend that looked more like a science experiment than a culinary creation. Stirring this confection into the bacon drippings was a bizarre experience. I mean, who thought, “Hey, let’s blend sugar with bacon grease?” But trust me, it works.
Vinegar & Water: A Tale of Two Liquids
Adding a cup of cider vinegar and a cup of water to this mixture, I had to ask myself, “Am I making a salad or a potion?” Seriously, vinegar and water boiled for 2 to 3 minutes? But the aroma that wafted through my kitchen was oddly satisfying.
The Great Potato Union
After the sauce was done, it was time for the potatoes and green onions to join the party in the skillet. The sight of those thinly sliced potatoes and vibrant green onions, swimming in the tangy sauce was quite a spectacle. I turned off the skillet and covered it with a towel. I know what you’re thinking. A towel? But yes, a towel it was. Apparently, German Potato Salad likes to rest like a spa-goer with a facial.
The Bacon Finale
After a good 3 to 4 hours of resting time (the salad, not me), I sprinkled the crisp bacon over the top. The combination of the tangy potatoes, sharp green onions, and salty bacon was nothing short of magic. And there it was, my German Potato Salad, a dish that had taken me on quite a roller coaster of culinary emotions.
So there you have it, folks. My tryst with German Potato Salad: a journey that involved hot potatoes, bacon rain dances, and the creation of a bizarrely satisfying potion. It was a wild ride, but one I’d happily embark on again. Because at the end of the day, who can resist the allure of potatoes and bacon?
