Description
Ina Garten’s German potato salad blends crisp bacon, tangy vinegar, and warm potatoes for a hearty side dish. Bavarian-style comfort emerges through simple ingredients and classic techniques you’ll savor at any summer gathering.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups / 710 ml diced peeled potatoes (Yukon Gold or similar variety)
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 small onion, diced
- ¼ cup / 60 ml white vinegar
- 1 tbsp / 15 ml chopped fresh parsley
- 1 ½ tbsps / 22.5 ml white sugar
- 2 tbsps / 30 ml water
- 1 tsp / 5 ml salt
- 1/8 tsp / 0.6 ml ground black pepper
Instructions
- Potato Preparation: Wash potatoes and boil in a large pot of water until fork-tender, approximately 10 minutes. Drain and let cool to room temperature.
- Bacon Transformation: Cook bacon in a wide skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and golden. Remove to a paper towel, then crumble into small pieces, reserving the rendered fat in the pan.
- Onion Caramelization: Sauté diced onions in the bacon fat until they develop a rich, golden-brown color, about 6-8 minutes.
- Flavor Infusion: Add white vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and black pepper to the onions. Bring the mixture to a robust boil, creating a tangy base for the salad.
- Final Assembly: Gently fold cooked potatoes and half the bacon pieces into the skillet, warming through for 3-4 minutes to meld the flavors without breaking the potatoes.
- Serving Presentation: Transfer the warm potato mixture to a serving platter. Garnish with remaining bacon crumbles and freshly chopped parsley, creating a visually appealing and flavorful German-style potato salad.
Notes
- Potato Selection Matters: Choose waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or red potatoes that hold their shape during cooking and won’t disintegrate when mixed.
- Bacon Crispness Tip: Cook bacon until extra crispy to ensure maximum flavor and textural contrast in the salad, allowing it to provide a delightful crunch.
- Temperature Timing: Serve the potato salad warm for the most authentic German-style experience, as the heat helps the potatoes absorb the tangy vinegar dressing more effectively.
- Seasoning Balance: Adjust vinegar and sugar proportions to create a perfect sweet-and-sour harmony that characterizes traditional German potato salad, tasting and tweaking as you go.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: German
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg