German Potato Salad

German potato salad is served warm with tender potatoes, crunchy bacon and a mustard vinegar dressing that is everything a potato salad should be!

Don’t get me wrong, we love our traditional potato salad! And it always has a place as a favorite side dish at the picnic table, but if you want to change things up and ditch the eggs and mayo, then this is the potato salad for you!

I start by boiling some golden and red potatoes, then I cook the bacon on the stove in a dutch oven. Once the potatoes are fork tender, I combine them with the bacon and some garlic with a little of the bacon fat (hello flavor town!!) and then top it all with a tangy mustard (2 kinds!) and apple cider vinegar dressing.

The ingredients are so few and so simple that it seems impossible it could be so good, but it is heaven! It’s all topped with a little fresh parsley on top because, while it seems useless, it actually freshens the whole dish up. Trust me, you need to make this.

Ingredients for German Potato Salad

• Potatoes: We love the combo of some Yukon gold potatoes and red potatoes, but you could do all of one or the other. Just avoid the russets!
• Salt: adds flavor to the potatoes as they boil
• Bacon: adds flavor and a crunchy texture to the dish. Don’t forget to reserve some of the bacon grease left behind.
• Butter: use unsalted so that you can control the saltiness of the dish
• Olive Oil: extra virgin is preferred
• Apple Cider Vinegar: adds acid to the dish
• Garlic: adds flavor, be sure to use fresh garlic
• Sugar: mellows out the vinegar
• Mustards: we use a combo of stone ground mustard and Dijon for maximum flavor
• Salt and Pepper: just enough until it tastes perfect to you
• Parsley: some is going to get mixed in while everything is cooking and some is going to be added fresh on top at the end so make sure you follow the instructions

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

What Kind Of Potatoes Do You Use For Potato Salad?

For potato salad, you’ll want to stay away from starchy, thick-skinned potatoes like russets, which will fall apart during the cooking process.

Red potatoes or golden potatoes maintain the perfect texture for salad.

Variations for German Potato Salad

There are a few options for changing this recipe up. You can always try different combinations of potatoes, though we really love the combination of reds and Yukon golds.

If you want to lighten things up a little, try using turkey bacon. You’ll be losing a lot of flavor if you go with this option because you won’t have the bacon grease to add to the dressing. Turkey bacon is quite lean and doesn’t leave much, if any, grease behind.

Feel free to play with the mustards that you use. If you want to add a little heat, try using a little s

Asian Cucumber Salad

This light and fresh Asian cucumber salad is our new favorite healthy side dish, complete with a sweet and tangy vinegar dressing.

Earlier this year I was working on an Asian steak marinade and I was playing around with the idea of using black vinegar in it. The final recipe was tested when Cade’s mom came into town and it was a total hit. Without even realizing it though, I’d added black vinegar to the cucumbers instead of the steak marinade that morning. It turned out both dishes needed something a little different than what I was doing and it was awesome!

You can read below for a substitute as we still love cucumber salad with just straight up rice or apple cider vinegar. In fact, we often use both. 

Ingredients for Asian Cucumber Salad

It only takes 7 ingredients to make this simple but refreshing salad recipe. Here is what you will need:

• English Cucumber – I just to just slice them thin by hand, but feel free to remove the seeds if you want
• Red Onion – totally optional but I love the zip it adds, do a fine slice on a mandolin
• Rice Vinegar – mild, sweet and sour flavor
• Chinese Black Vinegar – a dark mild vinegar with a slightly fruity flavor
• Honey – adds sweetness and balances the saltiness and tang
• Sesame Seeds – give them a little toast to enhance the nutty flavor
• Fine Sea Salt – dissolves easily into the dressing and adds flavor

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