Revisiting German Potato Salad

My kids love German food. The one thing both of them ask me to make for their birthday dinners are a German Feast. My son loves Schnitzel while my daughter wants Braised Red Cabbage or German Potato Salad. Anything with apple cider vinegar both of them will love.

For our Memorial Day picnic I decided to make some German Potato Salad. It has been quite awhile since I have made it and since I wanted picnic food I thought this was the perfect time.

Verdict:

At first I had one of those moments that I bet most of you have had. You make a recipe you love and it just isn’t right. It tasted awful! I went back through the recipe seeing if I missed an ingredient. No. I was so disappointed because I wanted this so much for dinner. I had my daughter taste it. We sat for a while and then she said it needs sugar. I remember adding the sugar but I wonder when I multiplied it – I was making a batch and a half – if I made a mistake. She stirred in an extra tablespoon or two of sugar and that was it! I have to remember that sometimes we need to stop and adjust – both in cooking and in life – and it is just fine to add a bit more of something we need to make things better. I most likely made a mistake in the measurements but it was a good lesson. Don’t give up and think about what will make it better. I encourage all of you to do this with recipes, I just need to remember to do it too!

I served this with baked beans and hot dogs for the perfect picnic!

This recipe originally appeared in Better Homes and Garden Salad Cookbook.

Servings: ”6-8″
Difficulty: ”easy”
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Ingredients:

2 lbs potatoes
8 slices bacon
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 TBSP flour
2 TBSP sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Cook potatoes in boiling, salted water for 25 to 30 minutes until just about fork tender.
Drain potatoes. Peel (if desired – I sometimes leave the skins on) and slice potatoes.
In a large skillet cook the bacon over medium-low heat until crisp. Be careful not to burn or overheat the grease or your potato salad may taste burnt. Drain off the drippings saving 1/4 cup. Crumble bacon and set aside.
Cook onion in the reserved bacon grease until tender but not browned.
Blend in flour, sugar, salt and pepper.
Add water and vinegar to onion mixture. Cook stirring continuously until thickened.
Stir in bacon and potatoes to onion mixture. Cook about 5 minutes or until heated through tossing lightly to stir.
Serve warm.