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    The Life Jolie » Recipes » German Potato Salad

    German Potato Salad

    Published: Jun 15, 2017 · Modified: Jul 6, 2022 by Jessy Freimann · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This authentic German Potato Salad is an easy family favorite that's perfect for a picnic or gathering. It tastes great cold or warm and is topped with bacon and hard boiled eggs- this is a classic that the whole family will love!German Potato Salad on a gray towel with eggs and egg shells in the background.

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    So we are getting ready to have a little birthday BBQ for A next week. It's not going to be huge like T's first birthday party but it will be just as fun.

    Last year, we did a small birthday dinner for A with all our parents and my grandma and sister and it was perfect! But this year, A is at an age where she's just starting to understand the concept of birthday parties.

    While I still think a huge birthday blow out might be a bit much for her, J and I ultimately agreed that a casual BBQ with immediate family and a couple friends that are her age would be perfect.

    A close up photo of the potatoes in German Potato Salad as well as bacon.

    A is super excited for this. She has been very clear that she want's a Rainbow themed birthday party. I was a bit surprised by this, I was totally expecting her to say Mickey. But I'm kind of excited for the rainbow theme and secretly happy it doesn't involve characters.

    I'm not sure if I'll be having games or anything like that, they are still a little young and we already have the playhouse and the DIY play stand, so we'll see. Either way we're excited!

    An overhead photo of German Potato Saladwith a gold spoon on the right side and some egg shells in the top left corner.


    Are you guys sick of delicious summer recipes yet? Good. Neither am I. But once in a while I like to enjoy traditional things like potato salad in a different way.

    In this particular case, I'm referring to the usual mayonnaise-based potato salad. Delicious? Yes. Do I want it at every picnic? Not so much. Sometimes I like to mix things up a bit.

    Some people call this being a commitment-phobe. I prefer adventurous. Luckily, I have an excellent family recipe for German Potato Salad for the days when you simply cannot handle the same, old potato salad.

    A close up photo of the potatoes in German Potato Salad as well as bacon.

    German Potato Salad was always a special treat that you'd find at our family picnics and special events. While it's slightly more labor intensive, don't let that scare you because it's not a terrible amount of work or anything. But the results are simply delicious.

    Think about it. Who doesn't love a potato salad with tons of hard boiled eggs and bacon on it? And did I mention that the dressing is made using the bacon fat? I mean is there anything more awesome than food cooked in bacon fat? We all know the obvious answer is bacon itself, but fear not, bacon is included in this!

    A close up shot of the hard boiled egg in German Potato Salad.

    I think the important key to this recipe is making sure you have enough dressing. If you don't have enough it will be dry and somewhat bland. And nobody has ever been the popular gal at the picnic for bringing a bland salad.

    I remedied this by saving a couple slices of bacon so that if I needed to whip up more sauce, I could quickly render some bacon fat. It's a win/win because then you'll also have a few slices of bacon to munch on or add to the Potato Salad.

    I might even get a little crazy and tell you to make that second batch of the sauce to bring to the picnic and add to the salad right before serving. Worst case, you can always save it. I bet it would taste amazing over a spinach salad with mushrooms and frizzled onions.

    A plate of German Potato Salad with egg shells in the background.

    Other great picnic sides include:

    Green Bean Salad

    Tuna Macaroni Salad

    Peas and Shrimp Salad

    Roasted Beets Salad with Feta and Dill

    Greek Couscous Salad

    Mexican Bean Salad

    Tomato Salad

    German Potato Salad

    Vicky’s Tabouli

    A square photo of German Potato Salad.

    German Potato Salad

    Jessy Freimann
    This authentic German Potato Salad is an easy family favorite that's perfect for a picnic or gathering. It tastes great cold or warm and is topped with bacon and hard boiled eggs- this is a classic that the whole family will love!
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course dinner, Lunch, Side Dish
    Cuisine Family, German, picnic
    Servings 8 -10 servings

    Ingredients
      

    Salad:

    • 1 bag of potatoes cut until pieces and boiled (peeling is optional)
    • 6 to 8 pieces of bacon crumbled; save the grease (or more if you're like me and LOVE bacon!)
    • 2 or 3 hard boiled eggs or more if you want

    Dressing:

    • Bacon grease from the above bacon if you don't have enough grease you can always add a little oil.
    • 1 onion chopped
    • ½ cup of apple cider vinegar
    • ½ cup of water
    • 2 Tbsp. of sugar
    • Flour

    Instructions
     

    • In the bacon grease, saute the onions over medium heat until soft, about 6-7 minutes.
    • Stir in the vinegar, water and sugar and cook for 5 minutes.
    • Whisk in a little flour to thicken (start with 1 Tbsp. and add more as you need it).
    • Mix the potatoes and some of the bacon with the dressing. Top with remaining bacon and eggs and serve warm. If you are serving later, pop it into the oven to warm before serving, stirring frequently so that it doesn't dry out.
    • Enjoy!

    Notes

    If I'm serving this later, I try to reserve some of the dressing and warm it and top it just before serving.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    This authentic German Potato Salad is an easy family favorite that's perfect for a picnic or gathering. It tastes great cold or warm and is topped with bacon and hard boiled eggs- this is a classic that the whole family will love!
    This authentic German Potato Salad is an easy family favorite that's perfect for a picnic or gathering. It tastes great cold or warm and is topped with bacon and hard boiled eggs- this is a classic that the whole family will love!

     

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    Comments

    1. Meg @ Pinch of Nutmeg says

      July 20, 2015 at 3:11 pm

      This looks great Jessy! I know what you mean about not always wanting the mayo-based version but still craving potato salad. This fits the bill AND has bacon. A no brainer!
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        July 22, 2015 at 8:54 am

        Thank you! Yeah, sometimes you gotta mix it up :)
        Reply
    2. Shann Eva says

      July 20, 2015 at 5:31 pm

      Looks really great! I've not had many German Potato salads, but with bacon, I really want to try this one. Yum.
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        July 22, 2015 at 8:53 am

        Thank you- yes, bacon has a way of making everything better!
        Reply
    3. Autumn says

      July 20, 2015 at 7:24 pm

      I am always a HUGE fan on potato salad and I've never had one that looks like this. Looks yummy, thanks for sharing! :)
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        July 22, 2015 at 8:53 am

        Thank you- it's definitely different. Enjoy!
        Reply
    4. Stephanie says

      July 20, 2015 at 8:44 pm

      I love potato salad in the summer! I will have to try this! Thanks for the recipe!
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        July 22, 2015 at 8:52 am

        Thank you- enjoy!
        Reply
    5. Tennille says

      July 20, 2015 at 10:48 pm

      This looks amazing! My husband loves potato salad, I'm going to give this recipe a try this weekend.
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        July 22, 2015 at 8:51 am

        Thank you- I hope you enjoy it!
        Reply
    6. Kaitie says

      July 21, 2015 at 8:36 am

      this looks absolutely amazing! And easy?! The the best part! I know my family will enjoy this!
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        July 22, 2015 at 8:50 am

        Thank you- I hope they do :)
        Reply
    7. Donna Ward says

      July 21, 2015 at 7:20 pm

      Yummy looking German Potato Salad! I grew up making tons of this with a similar recipe - they still called it German! We used to race to see who could peel potatoes fasted - I have a few scarred finger lol - Thanks for this recipe - which is different than mine - can't wait to try it out
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        July 22, 2015 at 8:50 am

        Thank you! When I was a kid they would definitely peel the potatoes, but I just didn't have time, and I like the texture that they skin adds. So awesome that you made a game of it :)
        Reply
    8. Kristen Miller says

      July 21, 2015 at 10:47 pm

      I've never tried German Potato Salad before, it looks really interesting. Thanks for the recipe!
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        July 22, 2015 at 8:46 am

        Thank you- hope you enjoy! :)
        Reply
    9. Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry says

      June 15, 2017 at 10:48 am

      When I visited Hamburg recently I could see how much the Germans love potato salad. There were 4 types at breakfast! Love your recipe with crispy bacon. Yum
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        June 15, 2017 at 11:48 am

        I'm dying to go to Germany- what a great trip! I would totally eat this (or most other) potato salads for breakfast :)
        Reply
    10. Karen says

      June 15, 2017 at 11:21 am

      I LOVE German style potato salad and this one is a beauty! I must make one soon myself, as my chickens are laying up a storm lately and I have dozens of eggs!
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        June 15, 2017 at 12:07 pm

        OMG- I have major chicken-envy! I would love to have chickens, but I know I wouldn't be able to properly care for them :( But there is seriously nothing like fresh eggs!
        Reply
    11. Mary // chattavore says

      June 15, 2017 at 1:15 pm

      This sounds so delicious - warm potato salads are my favorite, and yesssss to bacon!
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        June 15, 2017 at 8:50 pm

        I'm with you, Mary: Bacon = Life! Thanks for the kind words :)
        Reply
    12. Julia @ Happy Foods Tube says

      June 15, 2017 at 2:18 pm

      I haven't tried a potato salad with bacon in it but I love the sound of it. My mouth is watering here :).
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        June 15, 2017 at 8:49 pm

        Thanks Julia- bacon makes everything better :)
        Reply
    13. Natalia says

      June 15, 2017 at 4:34 pm

      I love potato salads and this one looks amazing and perfect for summer! Should give it a try!
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        June 15, 2017 at 8:48 pm

        Thank you- I hope you enjoy it!
        Reply

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