German Potato Salad Recipe - Budget Bytes (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between regular potato salad and German potato salad? ›

There are two main differences between American and German Potato salads. American potato salad is usually tossed in a mayonnaise-based dressing and served cold. German potato salad is tossed in a vinegar-based dressing and is traditionally served warm (but you can totally serve it cold too! It's still delicious!).

Blame it on the bad bacteria that grow rapidly when food remains in the danger zone between 40°F and 140°F for more than two hours. This means that potato salad made without mayo isn't exempt from these time and temp guidelines. Bottom Line: When stored safely, fresh potato salad should keep for up to five days.

Taste of Home Deputy Food Editor James Schend suggests adding a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to the water before it comes to a simmer, which will help create a “crust” on the potatoes. This way, they'll be less likely to fall apart.

Potatoes can retain moisture. To prevent this, drain the potatoes very well in a colander or pot. Allow all the steam to escape the potatoes before mixing them with the dressing and other ingredients. Steaming the potatoes instead of boiling them is a good way to ensure that excess moisture isn't trapped inside.

In German supermarkets, bags of mehlig kochende potatoes often have a blue label. The best-known varieties in Germany include: Adretta, Aula, Freya, Gunda (pictured top), Karat, Libana, Lipsi, Melina and Naturella.

It's worth remembering that Amish potato salad does share many similarities with other styles. Southern-style potato salad usually includes the sweet pickle mentioned above but less sugar and no vinegar. German potato salad also uses vinegar but in a sauce as an alternative to the mayo-slash-mustard base.

Just like regular potato salad you have up to five days to consume it, if stored properly. Is it safe to eat week-old potato salad? The USDA doesn't recommend consuming potato salad that's more than five days old.

prepared potato salad—whether it's homemade or store-bought, dressed with vinegar and oil or mayonnaise—will stay fresh in the refrigerator up to five days, if stored properly.

The humble, reliable potato is a hotbed for bacterial growth if improperly stored after cooking. In terms of food safety, potatoes are what's known as a low-acid food. This means that there isn't enough acid naturally present in the food item to inhibit the growth of bacteria.

Drop a whole russet into the pot and by the time the outside has cooked through, the inside will still be raw. Larger potatoes should be cubed to ensure they cook evenly (peeled first if desired). Smaller potatoes tend to have thin skins and can be boiled whole, no peeling required.

Should I wait for potatoes to cool before making potato salad? ›

Yes, if your potato salad is a cold salad, as most are, allow the cooked potatoes to cool to room temperature before adding the dressing and other ingredients.

Waxy potatoes are generally considered the best for classic potato salad because they retain their shape, you don't have to peel them, and they have a smooth texture.

Just take a fine grater or zester to the rind, measure out about a half teaspoon of zest per two cups of potato salad, and mix it in. The addition of a sweet element, like sugar or any sweetener, should also be enough to neutralize the extra vinegar, but if the flavor is still off, use a pinch of baking soda.

Forgetting To Salt The Water

Just as you would with pasta, seasoning the water is the only way to flavor the potatoes themselves. The vegetable absorbs the water it's cooked in, so if you just boil them in unseasoned water, you'll end up with tasteless taters that no amount of mayo, herbs, or bacon bits can help.

Dense potatoes don't absorb seasonings easily, so you'll need to salt the water liberally so that the water the potatoes do drink up also carries in seasoning. And because potatoes are so timid in flavor, they need that salt to bring them out of their shells. Pour some salt in, then keep going.

German Potato Salad Ingredients

Bacon: Bacon (and its grease) adds tons of meaty flavor to the hearty German potato salad. Onion: An onion, cooked in bacon grease, lends even more complexity and flavor. Vinegar: White vinegar adds tanginess that cuts through the richness from the potatoes and bacon.

American style “German Potato Salad” originated from German immigrants based upon the German Kartoffelsalat. But the true origin of this recipe may be southern Poland. Cuisine doesn't recognize countries borders so who knows for sure.

Field salad (Valerianella locusta), known as feldsalat in German, is used like lettuce in salad. It is also famously known as Rapunzel Lettuce, after the vitamin-rich food that cost a peasant family their only daughter in the Brothers Grimm fairy tale.