Check out this delicious German potato salad that makes a great side. This dish is easy to make and comes together in about 20 minutes.
Potato salad is one of the many ways I love to consume potatoes, but I’m not a huge fan of American potato salad that’s usually mayonnaise-based. German potato salad is usually vinegar or mustard based, and it served warm. Let’s talk about the ingredients!
What potatoes do I use?
Potatoes are usually divided into waxy and starchy potatoes. Think about a basic brown russet potato. They feel starchy as you cut them, and if you are making something like latkes, you’ll notice the starch that comes off of them. Waxy potatoes usually have a thin skin and do not fell like russet potatoes. They feel softer, and they usually don’t work great for mashing because they get too gummy.
For this recipe we’re going to use red potatoes (aka new potatoes). Red potatoes are medium-sized potatoes that tend to be less starchy. Sometimes potatoes get a bad wrap for being unhealthy, but they are a great source of fiber. Potatoes contain vitamins like vitamin C and B6. They are also a good source of minerals like potassium, copper, and manganese.
Assembling the German Potato Salad
The most difficult skill in this recipe is finely dicing the onion and celery. Since they’re going into the dish raw, you don’t want to get a big bite of raw onion. If they are finely diced, then they will mix well into the dish, and the warmth from the potato will start to soften them. If you aren’t feeling confident with your knife skills, I’ve got an easy cheat. Simply, roughly cut the onion and celery and add them to a food processor. Then, pulse the food processor until they vegetables are small enough for your liking. A food processor is a great way to get around chopping vegetables!
Substitutions
The flavors I used are typical for German potato salad, but if you don’t like dill you could substitute in parsley or another herb for they freshness. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you could use white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar as alternative acids. I wouldn’t recommend white distilled vinegar because it has a much stronger taste. If you’re using a Dijon that already has a very strong vinegar taste, I’d recommend staring with only the mustard and tasting the dish before you add in the vinegar as well.
When I have extra potatoes around, I like to mix it up and make this potato salad on occasion. I love to eat it as a side when the weather cools down since it’s served warm, but not hot. It’s a perfect transition food for me. Looking for more ways to cook potatoes? Check out this post all about smashed potatoes!
German Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds red potatoes
- ¼ small onion about 1/3 cup chopped
- 1 celery stalk about 1/4 cup chopped
- 6 fronds dill about 1 tbsp chopped
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot of cold water, add the potatoes and bring the water to a boil. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, cook for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
- While the potatoes are cooking, finely dice the onion and celery. You want them to be small enough blend into the dish.
- Remove the fronds of the dill from the larger stem and finely chop.
- When the potatoes are finished cooking, drain the water off.
- Cut the potatoes into fourths or eighths depending on the size of your potatoes. Don't worry if they start to crumble. Add the potatoes back to the pot or into a large bowl.
- Add the onion, celery, dill, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper.
- Mix thoroughly until the potatoes begin to break into smaller pieces. The consistency should be between mashed potatoes and diced potatoes.
- Serve warm topped with extra salt, pepper, and dill as desired.