Easy Hot German Potato Salad

Hot German potato salad has tender, warm potatoes mixed with a slightly sweet and tangy dressing. This savory side dish is perfect with chicken, beef and pork and packed full of flavor.

 

Why We Love Warm German Potato Salad

• Delicious Potato Bacon Flavor– Warm, tender red potatoes, crispy bacon with a delicious warm dressing full of smokey bacon? This potato salad is a little different from traditional American potato salad and is a family favorite. 
• Easy Side Dish– This is the perfect side dish if you like tons of flavor with only a little bit of work. Leftovers of this hot potato salad are equally delicious.

Ingredients For Warm German Potato Salad

• 2 pounds red potatoes skin on and chopped .  The size of the potatoes can be small red potatoes or large, it’s more important that you slice them in roughly even pieces. You can also use Yukon gold potatoes or fingerling potatoes.
• 4 slices bacon diced
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar –  I like to use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar, but regular white vinegar also works.
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar white granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 green onions thinly sliced (optional garnish)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional garnish)

How To Make Warm German Potato Salad

1. Chop the potatoes into bite size pieces. Add the potatoes to a large pot and add enough cold water until they are at least an inch covered. Generously salt the water. Turn the pot to medium high heat and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium and simmer the potatoes until soft. Drain the potatoes or use a slotted spoon and set the potatoes to the side.

2. Place bacon into a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Cook and stir until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and set the bacon to the side but don’t wipe out the bacon fat in the pan.

3. Turn the heat to medium on the burner. Add the vinegar, sugar and water to the pan with the bacon drippings and bring to a simmer. scraping all the bacon bits from the base of the pan, then add salt and pepper.

4. Once the sauce is simmering, add the drained potatoes to the pan. Stir gently until the potatoes begin to absorb the hot driessing. Remove the pan from the heat.

5. Add the bacon and mix into the potatoes, you can also add chopped parlsey and green onion. I like to put half of the potato mixture in my serving bowl, then add parsley and green onions. Then I top with the rest of the potatoes and more parsley and green onions, and toss. Enjoy hot!

How Long Does German Potato Salad Keep?

Expect this German potato salad will keep for about 3-4 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can warm up the leftovers, but they are also delicious cold.

Is This Traditional German Potato Salad?

Potato salad in Germany actually comes in a couple different varieties, some include mayonnaise like we often use in American potato salad and some include more of a vinegar-based dressing. This particular recipe is technically more of a Bavarian potato salad that comes from southern Germany.

I tried hot German potato salad for the first time at the German American festival and have been hooked on this warm potato salad with the tangy bacon vinaigrette dressing ever since. While I do have German roots, my German grandmother made more of an American style potato salad which I later added to! So it wasn’t until the festival that I was hooked!

I found a great article that outlines all the major different types of regional German potato salads here.