Slow Cooker German Potato Salad

I really enjoyed reading all the comments. I guess Germany has as many different potato salads as we do in U.S., that's what cooking is all about. What one family likes another will have something different that tastes just as good. I will probably try this one this weekend with bar-b-que chicken. Thank you sweetrose46

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I made this yesterday, exactly as written, except I used fresh potatoes I boiled first. I found that the vinegar here is way too overpowering. It needs to be way less. Also, something was missing. I don't know what, I can't quite put my finger on it, but something is missing. It had flavor and was bland at the same time. I ended up mixing just a little bit of bacon grease and a few splashes A1 into the potato salad, while still in the slow cooker, and that definitely helped. Although the vinegar was still too strong.

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Moppel

Sep 21, 2015

And I am 100% German, born, raised, citizen.

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BeckySue

May 13, 2016

Thanks for the A1 suggestion. I' m going to boil my own potatoes, too, probably red skin. I like the celery seed. I'll go easy on the vinegar until I get it to taste, but I think German potato salad is supposed to be vinegary, isn't it?

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I am German by birth, but that's neither here nor there. Different parts of Germany do things differently, as they do in Italy, or anywhere. Having said that, potatoes we used were more like yukon, boiled in their skins whole, peeled when cool enough to do so and cut into chunks or sliced, whatever the mood of the day. Real chopped celery not seeds, thinly sliced radishes, finely chopped onions, hard boiled eggs, chopped. Bacon fried very crisp and crumbled, and very little of the grease if any (I don't remember it being used to be honest). As for the dressing, oil and vinegar, oh and salt and pepper to taste and some dry mustard. And we never had it warm, room temp is as warm as it ever got, or cold out of the fridge when it was made ahead of time. It's all in how you like it. I hate the "Fench Canadian" potato salad using mashed potatoes, ewww.

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I make mine with real potatoes and I mash them. My Mother-n-law maid it this way and she was German.

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this is not how you make German Potato Salad, coming from a 100% German family (my grandparents were born and raised there) you use red skinned potatoes, hard boiled eggs, onion, bacon, including the grease, sugar and vinegar. Never used flour, celery seeds and who uses frozen potato wedges?? yuck!

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zeena2west

Jan 23, 2014

I agree. Just doesn't sound good . I'm of german decent and love real german food.

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Moppel

Sep 11, 2015

I am German, born and raise, German citizen, lived in Germany until I was 24. I have NEVER used red skinned potatoes for my potato salad. I have never used bacon or bacon grease. I have never used sugar or vinegar. There is no right or wrong way to make German potato salad. Before I came to the US, I made my potato salad with Miracle Whip. Still German potato salad. There is no "you use". Everyone makes potato salad their own way in Germany.

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grichardsop 3010599

Mar 30, 2016

My mother's traditional German Potato salad has the same ingredients as yours. Except we add a bit of cornstarch in a cup or two of water. We add this to a small amount of the bacon grease and bring to a boil. We then add the vinegar sugar to taste as well as the remaining ingredients. This gives the sauce a slight thickness which coats the potatoes for more flavor. We usually bake it for about 40 minutes. Always a hit!

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I was at Oktoberfest in a German village and this was as good as theirs and to be quite frank...I too use fresh potatoes instead of frozen and was quite pleased with the outcome. I added 3 more pieces of bacon (but like anything, it is according to your own tastes).

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I've never tried this in a crockpot but will in future, using fresh potatoes rather than these mentioned. Other than that, it's exactly like the German potato salad I've made for years. So it's not like the stuff you ate in Germany or your grandmother or your great uncle's aunt's oldest neighbor - call it what you want, for goodness' sake! It's good by any name!

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what part of Germany is this traditional in? we use sliced potatoes and we saute the onions in the bacon fat before adding the rest the ingredients.

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Moppel

Sep 11, 2015

I'm German, from Rheinland-Pfalz to be exact. I have never used sliced potatoes. I cube them. I don't saute onions, I dice them. And I have never used bacon grease in my potato salad. There is no one traditional way to make German potato salad. Everyone makes it their own way.

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WEll,, my comment didnt get osterd so will try again - This is not the potaqto salad my German-mother-in-law made. In fact, never saw this type anywhere while I was there. Maybe a regional thing?

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My German mother-in-law never made it this way. And in the area I was in Germany, never saw it this way.

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I have my Mo's recipe and it is way better than this. It has fewer ingredients and is one dish where there are no leftovers. This recipe looks as though it wouldn't taste very good. 3 pieces of bacon. HA.

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Riolobo1001 7632143

Oct 01, 2013

Would u please put your recipe here.

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This is by no means a good potato salad and no way its german. Fresh potatos , not refirgerated ones and we never use dry mustard or flour ...I was born in Germany and this is no way we make potato salad.

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The recipe is very similar to the one given to me by a German neighbour but to get the real flavor you really need to use real potatoes. Frozen or canned just doesn't do this amazing salad true justice.

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I use a recipe that was given to me a long time ago. It calls for 10 small cans of sliced potatoes, 1 large onion choppped, and 1# bacon. Open potatoes, rinse, and put in large pot, warm thru, meanwhile cook bacon til crisp and remove from drippings. Add onion to drippings and cook til tender, then add 1 c sugar, stirring constantly, then add 4 tbs flour and stir well til paste forms, add 1 cup cider vinegar, 3 cups water. Mix all together til forming a thick sauce. Add crumbled bacon then pour into sliced warm potatoes. I have used this for many pot luck dinners, and people seem to really love it.

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I have a very old recipe for German Potato Salad which people I know say "it's to die for". It callls for 4 lbs. cooked salad potatoes (boiled until tender). When cooled, peel and cut potatoes into thin slices; Fry 4 slices of diced bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from drippings. Add enough more fat to make 1/2 cup drippings. Blend 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add to drippings and stir until smooth. Then add to the blended, seasoned drippings: 1 cup cider vinegar and 1 cup of water. Stir constantly on medium heat until slightly thickened. Combine sauce, potatoes, and 4 chopped green onions and one stalk of chopped celery. (If green onions not available, I use a vidalia onion chopped to equal the four green onions.) Let stand at room temperature 3 to 4 hours. Sprinkle with bacon. If desired, you can add sliced hard boiled egg. This should serve 10 to 12. This is real German potato salad! Delilah

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lugnut181963 5555733

Jun 10, 2012

This is the real German potatoe salad. My grandmother made this version sixty years ago and she was 100% german and learned to cook from her mother. I still have several of her recipes written in german.

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cindlady2

Jan 30, 2013

This is VERY close to the way I learned.

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I use cornstarch in place of water, & milk in place of water.

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When printing recipes there should be an option to print 3X5 or 4/6 cards. A recipe on a page is too hard to store!

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ffltddh 0063513

Jun 11, 2012

I put my recipes in a notebook with dividers for the different catagories.

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A couple of you have asked about refrigerated potato wedges. There are several companies that offer this product, one of them is Simply Potatoes and you can find these products in your grocery store in the meat or dairy section. Enjoy!

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I do a lot of grocery shopping. I've never come across refridgerated potatoe wedges.This is a strange recipe

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This is soooo not like authentic German potato salad. One uses thin sliced potatoes, which were boiled in their skin... and beef broth... and crunchy onions... maybe some fresh cucumber slices... nothing like this!

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jerntoni 1424427

May 22, 2012

This is exactly like Authentic German Potato Salad. Who ever heard of cucumber in german potato salad?

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knotsoold 2151344

May 26, 2012

Anyone, who grew up and lived for 30 years in Germany, knows that this recipe has nothing to do with real German potato salad.

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i would use fresh potatoes, just par boil them for a few minutes - I think I would slice them first.

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Not sure what "refrigerated" potatoes are and yes, I would like the answer to this question as well!

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Can you use fresh potatoes versus the regrigerated ones?

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ronehrhardt 7469496

Jan 24, 2013

Why not? It's your potatoe salad.

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