"German potato salad" news and stories

And now, here's a sharp and tasty, warm, and German variety, adapted from the Big Book of Backyard Cooking.

German Potato Salad with Fresh Dill

Ingredients:

2 pounds of potatoes, red-skin or other handy variety
8 slices of bacon
3/4 cup red onion
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 tsp mustard -- Dijon or other specialty variety
2 tsp sugar
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh dill, or a healthy handful

Boil the potatoes. If you're using red-skins, slice them into disks after boiling. If not, slice pre-boil. If your potatoes are huge, like the ones I used for the salad above, cut the potato in half lengthwise first. Drain when the potatoes are ready, put in a bowl and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, fry up the bacon. When it's done, chop it up. Keep 3 tbsp of bacon fat in the pan, add the chopped onion, and saute it until soft on medium, medium-low heat. Then whisk in vinegar, 1/2 cup water, the mustard, sugar, 2 tsp salt, and a 1/4 tsp of pepper. Let it simmer until the mixture is reduced by about 1/2.

Now there's one of two ways to do this. Either toss the potatoes in the skillet and then transfer to a bowl, or pour the contents over the potatoes, and then transfer them to another bowl. Once coated, sprinkle with the chopped bacon and chopped fresh dill, toss gently, season, and serve warm.

Warmth is great and all, but one of the best things about summer is potatoes -- growing, barbecuing them, and of course, lathering them in all sorts of tasty things and making a potato salad.

For years I didn't go near the German variety of tater salad -- I was a strict mayo and potato gal. This is probably a good thing since I never would have dug the sauerkraut flavor that lingers in the obviously German mix. Now, they're both pretty darned tasty. The mayonnaise variety offers the creaminess of the lathered potato with the crisp crunch of celery and onions. The German variety, on the other hand, offers a warm and tasty mixture of potato and vinegary sharp goodness. (And it isn't too shabby cold either.)

With this being the start of Memorial Day Weekend, there's no better time to whip up some potato salad and kick off the awesome season of warmth. Check out the recipes that follow, revel in all things tatery, and be sure to comment about your own special touches.