Acute How-To: German Potato Salad

I inherited this recipe from my grandmother and it just screams warm weather.

It is perfect for outdoor parties or cookouts.  The sweet and sour combination is a very common taste in German foods.

I love this potato salad – it is by far the best I have ever had.  Trust me, make this once and you will never again go back to the mayo overloaded potato salad sold at most grocery stores.

What you will need:

• 2 pounds of red potatoes
• 4 eggs {3 of them hard boiled}
• 4 strips of bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• a handful of fresh, flat leaf parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper

Step One:

Hard boil three of the eggs.  My hard-boiling-egg method:  put eggs in a pot, cover with water, and cook until water boils.  Turn off the heat, pop a lid on the pot, and let the eggs sit there until the water cools enough for you to touch it {about 20 minutes}.

Step Two:

While the eggs are sitting in the hot water, cut the potatoes into large bite sized pieces and boil.  Be careful to not overcook them.  Boil them until they are just fork tender.

Step Three:

Drain the potatoes and set them in a large serving bowl.

Step Four:

Dice the bacon into small pieces and cook in a large saucepan, for about 5 minutes.  Carefully remove the crisp bacon bits from the pan while leaving the grease behind.

Step Five:

Slice the onion into thin strips and cook it in the bacon fat that remains in your saucepan.  These onions should be cooked over low-medium heat until nice and tender {this will take about 7 minutes}.

Step Six:

Whisk together the sugar, vinegar, and Dijon mustard and pour it into the pan with the onions.  Stir all together and allow the mixture to cook for a minute.

Step Seven:

Whisk the fourth egg in a small bowl and slowly add to the pan with the onions and sauce.  Stir constantly while you are pouring so that the egg thickens the sauce without totally scrambling.  The egg will quickly cook {within about 10 seconds} and thicken the sauce while it does so.

Step Eight:

Pour the warm sauce + onions over the potatoes + bacon in the serving bowl.

Step Nine:

Finally the hard boiled eggs will be ready.  Peel and dice them and add them to the serving bowl.  Top the whole thing with chopped fresh parsley, a little salt and pepper and toss all to combine.  Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Enjoy!