by Hi my lovely readers!
In one of my posts about Christmas traditions in Germany, I talked about a lot of Germans eating potato salad on Christmas Eve for dinner instead of a festive roast. You can read all about it here if you would like to find out more.
Today, I want to share with you the potato salad recipe that I have learned and mastered, that of my Mum.
Thanks to my Mum, I have a little piece of home with me that I am always able to make and that I can have anytime I like or when I feel a bit homesick.
Of course, potato salad is also eaten throughout the year, especially in the summer as part of a BBQ, at least in my family. Therefore, it is a great allrounder, perfect for picnics, BBQs or even just at home with a fried egg for lunch.
I really love potato salad any time of the year and my Mum’s potato salad is the best! Of course I am biased 🙂
I asked her for the recipe and watched her closely when she made it so I know how to replicate her dish. Some potato salads use vinegar, but my Mum’s recipe uses mayonnaise. It is not a light dish, I am not going to lie, but it is delicious.
Potato salad with vinegar is just wrong if you ask me and not my cup at all. You will find that in the North we prefer to use mayonnaise or some sort of salad cream and in the South the people prefer vinegar… just wrong… Anyways, everyone has their preference and mine is just like my Mama makes it.
You do not need a lot of ingredients for this potato salad at all. They are all simple and cheap ingredients that everyone has at home mostly.
So, if you want to give authentic German potato salad a go, try out my Mum’s recipe and let me know what you think.
Ingredients (Serves 4):
- Around 1 kg of Potatoes
- 5 – 10 Gherkins
- 1 Onion
- 8 Bacon Rashes
- 4 Tbsp Mayonnaise
- Salt and Pepper
- Vegetable Oil for Frying
Preparation:
- Start preparing your potato salad by boiling the potatoes first. Select potatoes that are similar in size so they all cook evenly. Place them whole and with the skin on into a pot with water and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 30 min or so. The length of boiling really depends on the size of your potatoes. Insert a skewer and check if they are cooked from time to time. Make sure not to overcook the potatoes. Otherwise you will end up with a mushy potato salad. After they are cooked, drain well and leave to cool for 30 min.
- While the potatoes are boiling, dice the gherkins and onion and add to a salad bowl. I like gherkins a lot so I will use all 10, but if you do not like the salad to have too much of a pickled and vinegary taste, you can use less. Dice the bacon as well and put aside for later.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the potato skin. I normally insert a fork into the potato, slightly score it and peel the skin off with a sharp knife. Dice the potatoes into bite sized pieces and add them to the bowl with the gherkins and onion.
- Add 8 – 10 tbsp of gherkin water and lots of salt and pepper to flavour the potato salad. Mix to combine. Taste and see if you want to add a bit more gherkin water and/or salt and pepper. If yes, just add more to your liking.
- Next, add 4 tbsp of vegetable oil to a pan and fry the bacon until crispy. Add the hot bacon with the oil, yes all of it, to the potato salad while it is hot. This will give it extra taste. Give it a quick mix. Again, I never said this was a healthy or low calorie meal.
- Lastly, add the mayonnaise, mix to combine all ingredients.
Enjoy!
