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Old-Fashioned German Potato Salad

Old-fashioned German potato salad with bacon and a tangy vinegar dressing, finished warm so the potatoes stay tender. Sliced russet potatoes are boiled, then tossed with a thickened onion dressing and crispy bacon for a classic, steamy side.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: German
Calories: 360
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Russet potatoes
  • 3 lb russet potatoes peeled and sliced
Bacon
  • 8 bacon slices
Onion
  • 1 onion large, diced
Beef broth
  • 0.75 cup beef broth
White vinegar
  • 0.333 cup white vinegar
Sugar
  • 2 tbsp sugar
Flour
  • 1 tbsp flour
Salt
  • 1 tsp salt
Pepper
  • 0.5 tsp pepper
Parsley
  • 0.25 cup fresh parsley chopped

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Boil the potatoes
  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the potato slices until tender, 10-15 minutes, with a visible simmer. Test by piercing a slice; it should yield easily when you lift it with a fork.
  2. Drain the potatoes well and keep them hot so they don’t dry out, 2-3 minutes. Spread them in a warm layer so steam visibly helps them stay soft.
Cook bacon and onion
  1. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy, 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Watch for darker browned edges and renderings pooled at the bottom of the pan.
  2. Sauté the onion in the reserved bacon drippings over medium heat, 5-7 minutes, until softened and translucent. Continue cooking until you see the onion edges turn lightly golden.
  3. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir constantly for 1 minute. The mixture should look slightly thick and paste-like as it bubbles.
Make the vinegar dressing
  1. Add the beef broth, white vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Stir until smooth, then bring to a steady simmer with visible small bubbles.
  2. Simmer the dressing until thickened, 3-5 minutes, stirring often. It should coat the back of a spoon and cling before running off.
Combine and serve
  1. Crumble the crispy bacon and add it to the hot potatoes. Toss until the bacon is evenly distributed, with flecks visible throughout the slices.
  2. Pour the hot dressing over the potatoes and bacon immediately. Fold gently until every piece looks glossy and lightly coated.
  3. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve warm. The parsley should look bright green on top when plated.

Notes

Keep the potatoes hot when you dress them so they absorb the vinegar dressing instead of turning dry; warm a serving bowl too. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of broth or water to loosen the dressing. Freezing not recommended. For a lighter option, use turkey bacon and chicken broth to reduce saturated fat while keeping the vinegar-onion dressing style.