German Potato Salad
Potatoes love bacon fat. Throw in some good vinegar and tangy mustard, and honestly, that’s about it. The result is one of the best potato salads I’ve ever made. As if we needed more evidence to keep things simple.
Serves 8 as a side
INGREDIENTS
For the potato salad
3 pounds waxy potatoes, fingerling, new red, or Yukon gold (see note)
½ pound bacon, sliced into lardons
¼ cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
¼ cup white wine vinegar (see note)
Salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
To serve
Chives and chive blossoms
METHOD
Boil the potatoes. In a small stockpot, cover the potatoes with cold water. Salt the water heavily. Bring the potatoes to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until just tender, but not falling apart (a cake tester is useful for this). This usually takes 10-20 minutes, depending on size. Drain and allow to cool before cutting.
Render the bacon. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until it crisps up and the fat is rendered. Stir frequently to make sure the bacon doesn’t burn. Reserve the rendered fat to dress the potatoes.
Assemble. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar and mustards. Add the cooled, cut potatoes and ¼ cup bacon fat. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Toss and taste for seasoning before adding salt (the potatoes are already seasoned from the boiling water, and the bacon is plenty salty). As for the bacon fat, remember you can always add more, but you can’t take it out. Reserve leftover bacon fat for frying eggs or roasting potatoes.
Serve. Top with a handful of minced chives and a scattering of chive blossoms. A few more grinds of black pepper won’t hurt.
Note: Boil your potatoes whole, but whether you peel them is up to you. Fingerlings usually stay intact, so I don’t peel them. With Yukons and reds, the skins tend to slough off, so I peel them before boiling.
Note: the vinegar here functions the same way as it does for a salad dressing, so the quality makes a big difference. We are big fans of Katz vinegars, specifically the sauvignon blanc agrodolce. Agrodolce means “sour and sweet”, and this vinegar has a subtle and complex sweetness.
FURTHER READING
