This delicious warm German Potato Salad combines tender potatoes with a warm bacon-mustard vinaigrette dressing. It’s tangy, creamy and the perfect side dish for the summer grilling season.
When it’s sunny and warm outside, the last place I want to be is in the kitchen. Instead, give me a patio chair and a glass of rosé. That’s why this simple potato salad recipe is on regular rotation at our house lately.
Made with just a handful of ingredients, that you may have on hand already, it comes together in about 20 minutes. And because this potato salad is served warm, there’s no waiting for your potatoes to cool after cooking.
In fact, dressing those potatoes while they’re warm helps them absorb even more of the delicious, tangy bacon vinaigrette dressing that we’re tossing them with.
This simple potato salad is the perfect accompaniment to your favorite BBQ dishes. From grilled sausages, to burgers, chicken breasts or pork tenderloin. The tangy vinaigrette is the perfect match for smoky fare. Plus, since there’s no mayo, it’s perfect for potlucks.
It’s similar to my Grilled Potato Salad, but it’s a bit more rich with the bacon that’s running through it.
Ingredients Needed
- Baby Red Potatoes – You can also use baby yukons.
- Bacon
- Red Onion
- Celery
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Mustard – I prefer to use whole grain or stoneground mustard. Dijon mustard will also work.
- Sugar, Salt & Black Pepper
- Fresh Parsley
How to Make It
- Boil the potatoes. Cover with water and bring to a boil, cook until just tender, 10-15 minutes drain.
- Peel the potatoes (optional) then slice or dice into bite sized pieces.
- Make bacon vinaigrette. Fry bacon until crisp, remove to drain, leaving some bacon fat in pan. Saute onion then add in vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt & pepper.
- Toss potatoes with vinaigrette, bacon, celery and parsley.
- Serve.
To make these potatoes, add them to the cold water then bring your pot to a boil. They’ll cook faster that way.
Once the potatoes are cooked, I like to let them cool a bit and then either use my fingers or a paring knife to peel them. And while those potatoes are cooking and cooling, it’s the perfect time to start the bacon vinaigrette.
Fry up some bacon, then add in some minced onion, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper.
Here’s a tip on dicing those onions.
Start by halving and peeling the onion. Then, using your knife, make lengthwise slits into the onion, without slicing all the way through. Then cut at a right angle to those slits. You’ll be left with perfectly minced onions in the easiest way possible.
How to Make Ahead & Store
- You can make this potato salad ahead of time, though the bacon will lose its crispness. One option is to boil the potatoes beforehand, then just before serving make the bacon vinaigrette and toss everything together. Cold potatoes won’t absorb as much of the dressing, though it will still be delicious. Or, you fully assemble it. It will last for 3-4 days in the fridge, stored in an airtight container.
Is German Potato Salad Served Warm or Cold?
- Typically German Potato Salad is served warm. However, it can also be served cold or at room temperature.
Recipe Variations
- Swap in chicken broth for the water when reducing the bacon dressing.
- Add in pickles for a briny crunch.
- Swap out the parsley for chives or dill.
- Add in some chopped hard-boiled eggs.
What to Serve with It
- Grilled Chicken Breasts
- Grilled Pork
- Ribs
- Grilled Sausages
- Pretzel Crusted Chicken with Mustard Cheddar Sauce
- Shake n Bake Pork Chops
- Easy Roasted Chicken
More Salad Recipes
- Thai Cucumber Salad
- Simple Arugula Salad
- Cheeseburger Salad
- Fennel Celery Salad
- Easy Radicchio Salad
- Roasted Cauliflower Salad
Did you try this German Potato Salad?
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Warm German Potato Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds medium red potatoes
- 4 strips bacon (cut into ½” pieces)
- 1 red onion (diced)
- ½ cup minced celery (including some leaves)
- 1/3 cup cider vinegar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons coarse or stoneground German style mustard
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water by 2 inches .Season the water generously with salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes, until just tender. Drain.
- While the potatoes are still warm, peel and slice, or cube them, into a large serving bowl.
- Meanwhile, cook the sliced bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, about 5-6 minutes stirring occasionally. Transfer the bacon to a plate topped with paper towels to drain. Pour out all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat from the pan.
- Add the onion to the bacon fat. Season with a pinch of salt and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in 1/4 cup water, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil and pour over potatoes. Toss to coat. Add the bacon, celery and parsley. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
My mouth is watering just reading about this potato salad! I am not a dan of mayonnaise and a HUGE fan of bacon so this is right in my wheelhouse!!! I can’t wait to serve it up at my next bbq!!! Yummm!!!
Yuck. This one did not work for me, sorry. Maybe I didn’t follow the instructions correctly, but it says put in 1/4 cup of water, 1/3 cup of vinegar bring to the boil and pour over the potatoes. Well my potatoes were sitting in a pool of water, had to strain them. Potatoes weren’t cooked, 10-15 mins in boiling water was nowhere near enough time for that amount of potatoes, and to be perfectly honest, my mum is german and I have never tasted potato salad like this before. Hopefully others have a different experience with this than me.
Hi Kevin – Thanks for your feedback! Did you add the potatoes to the cold water, then bring them to a boil? That could account for them not being cooked. Or, your potatoes may have been larger than the ones that I typically use (about the size of a ping pong ball). I always like to test them with a fork to be sure they’re tender before draining.
Made this tonight, it’s my husbands birthday, it was perfect with the ribs, I didn’t put the water in with the vinegar and onions, must have overlooked that part. We were very happy with the ending salad. Pretty much followed the recipe used dill instead of parsley, also half a cup of mayo. Thanks
Thank you Anne! I’m glad it was a hit 🙂