German Potato Salad

Since the title of this blog is German, I thought it would be nice if I shared another German recipe. Although, this one isn’t as authentic perhaps as others I will or have shared here. This is a Daggon family recipe. There were always a few German recipes that my mom would make for us throughout the year and this was always a favorite. You can make it all in one pot, and then keep it warm in the crock-pot all day, or you can put it in the fridge and eat it cold whenever the mood strikes you.

I have made this recipe before on several occasions, not to mention for dinner fairly regularly. It usually goes over well, as long as the diners like vinegar. The original recipe is from my grandmother’s 1968 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens “New” Cookbook, which I inherited after my grandmother passed away.

I love that cookbook. The pictures in it are startlingly unappetizing, but there is something about it that always makes me want to produce a jello mold or host the perfect bridge party. I like that all my standard questions regarding cooking can be answered easily in that book. How to bone a chicken, what table settings are appropriate for a dinner party, what fruit punch will dazzle your guests. The recipes are tested and true, and I find, are easily adaptable to today’s palate.

For the German Potato Salad, you can increase the quantity or decrease it to fit the number of servings you need. It doubles, or quadruples nicely – especially when you are bringing 40 pounds of it to a pot-luck for all the employees at the bakery you work in. The one-potted-ness of it works well too, when the thought of washing more dishes in your already full sink turns your stomach.

So even though the heat here this past week has made me want to eat nothing but ice cream for dinner, I managed to sweat through making this meal. And to be honest it doesn’t even take that long to pull together. You can always let the potatoes boil and leave the room to splash cold water on yourself. And the smell of bacon and onions can make you forget that your kitchen fan doesn’t work.

German Potato Salad
As adapted from the 1968 edition of Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
And Jill Daggon

I used tri-color potatoes I had left over from making a patriotic potato salad for the 4th, but if you are using blue potatoes, be careful, as they do tend to fall apart more easily than their “stars and stripes” counterparts.

6 c. potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
½ lb bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb kielbasa, sliced
2 Tb sugar
1 ½ tsp celery seed
1 tsp caraway seed
1 tsp salt
2 Tb flour
1 c. red wine vinegar
½ c. water
Pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes in salted water, until they are fork tender, about 15 minutes (depending on the size of your pieces). Then drain and run cold water over the potatoes to slow the cooking.

In the now empty potato pot, place diced bacon pieces and begin to render out the fat. When the bacon has rendered most of its fat, but before the pieces are crisp, add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the sliced kielbasa, celery seed, caraway seed and salt and stir until everything is evenly coated. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes. You should have no more bacon grease on the bottom of your pot, if you do - add more flour. Once the flour has browned slightly, add the vinegar and water and stir vigorously to work in all the flour bits. Bring this mixture up to a boil to thicken, and simmer until the sauce will coat the back of a spoon.

Remove the pot from the heat, and add back in your potatoes, stirring to coat. Add salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately, or let sit and refrigerate for later.