Baked German Potato Salad

Recipe from Priscilla Massie

Adapted by Jennifer Steinhauer

Baked German Potato Salad — Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Rating: 4(386)
Notes: Read community notes

While all sorts of products, like oysters, were coming by boat from the East to Michigan and the rest of the Midwest during the pioneer period, the European families who settled there generally liked to stick to their traditions. “In the Upper Peninsula, there were the Finlanders, and they had Cornish hens,” said Priscilla Massie, a co-author of the cookbook “Walnut Pickles and Watermelon Cake: A Century of Michigan Cooking.” Then there were the Germans families, who, Ms. Massie said, tended to adopt Thanksgiving first. Their tangy baked potato salad can be found on many tables around the state to this day, made easy by a crop that’s available statewide. —Jennifer Steinhauer

Featured in: The United States of Thanksgiving

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

3½pounds red potatoes, cut into 1½-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
Salt
¾cup diced bacon (5 to 6 slices)
Olive oil, if needed
1cup finely chopped celery (3 to 4 stalks)
1cup finely chopped onion (1 onion)
3tablespoons flour
⅔cup cider vinegar
⅔cup sugar
½teaspoon celery seed
1teaspoon whole-grain mustard
½teaspoon black pepper
3tablespoons chopped parsley

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water; season with salt. Bring potatoes to a boil, then cook until they are just tender but not falling apart, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Step 2
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring often, about 8 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon and toss with the potatoes. Measure the bacon fat left in the skillet, adding olive oil if necessary to equal ¼ cup, and return to the skillet.
Step 3
Set skillet over medium heat and add celery and onion. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in flour until incorporated. Slowly add 1⅓ cups water and the vinegar, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 4
Remove skillet from heat and stir in sugar, 1½ teaspoons salt, celery seed, mustard, pepper and parsley. Pour over potatoes and bacon and gently toss to coat.
Step 5
Transfer potatoes to a 3-quart baking dish; cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Ratings

4 out of 5

386 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

William Zars6 years ago

I come from a long line of German and German-american cooks. This sauce was spot on without tasting over and over again for the perfect sweet and sour blend. My go to salad from now on. Thank you Jennifer

Joel6 years ago

This very close to my aunt Sharon's recipe, which is easily the most requested dish for family potlucks. The only significant differences are the omission of celery (and celery seed) and the addition of a little bit of rosemary.

I often use golden potatoes for a creamier flavor. Take care though - they don't hold together as well as the red. I use dried onion instead of fresh but wouldn't think of using dried parsley. Also, you won't regret using a higher-quality bacon.

MP6 years ago

One of best German Potato salads I've made. Made ahead to step 4, then refrigerated until near dinner and warmed up in oven. Could make a day ahead. Monitor the potatoes carefully during boil- want tender to eat and holding form nicely with stirring, not getting mushy with skin's falling off.
Also definitely customize the amount of sugar to taste- I added about 1/2 the amount in recipe and found sauce was just right amount of sweet & tang.

Geoff G6 years ago

Don't try this at home, or at least, not on purpose. I forgot to boil the potatoes, remembering just as I dumped the sauce on the raw potatoes. I couldn't throw them out, so I cooked them covered for 35 mins, then uncovered about 20 mins. The sauce held up and the potatoes, while a little firm, were more than edible. If I hadn't confessed my mistake, no one would have known. So, if you have a lapse like mine, don't despair.

Roni Jordan6 years ago

Made 2/3 recipe of this last night as a side with broiled chicken breasts. Quite good, excellent balance of sweet/sour. Mine had far more sauce after baking than shown in the picture, so I unvocdered and set on broil for a few minutes to reduce. Leftovers should be terrific, either warm or cold.

wisconsin6 years ago

This is a perfect recipe-the best German potato salad I have made.

MaryBretired5 years ago

Too sweet for me. Reduced sugar but should have used even less.

Cf1 year ago

Used less sugar as recommended by multiple reviewers but it was too vinegary. Added a little sugar after I baked it and it was great.

Janet1 year ago

Sorry, I grew up in the UP with all 4 grandparents coming over from Finland. I never had a Cornish hen growing up but plenty of Cornish pasties. The description for the recipe must be mistaken.

Kate T1 year ago

I usually never find things too sweet - I’d recommend cutting the sugar in half or more. Or, adding sugar tablespoon by tablespoon or so until you like it. And, while I’m at it, I’d prob add more mustard.

Robyn2 years ago

This was really great with the pastrami/corned beef ruebens for dinner last night. Also made coleslaw with red onion and added whole grain mustard to a jar of store bought coleslaw dressing I needed to use up. I totally agree with others this does NOT need any sugar at all!! We all agreed the sugar would have ruined it. I had extra bacon to use up as well so even though I halved the recipe to serve 4 there were 5 slices of thick cut bacon and I will do that again 😊

rrmhart2 years ago

This was delicious. We used already baked smashed potatoes from the night before.

Ann4 years ago

This was great. I grew up in Milwaukee and it tastes just like I remember it! First recipe I have found that does!

delicious- and the leftovers are excellent4 years ago

Use half the amount of sugar! Otherwise, excellent as directed. The leftovers are great lightly sautéed with eggs in the morning. Will be my new go-to potato dish this summer.

Pamela4 years ago

Too sweet! Ended up having to add a lot more mustard and vinegar to find the right sweet & sour balance. Next time, I would cut the sugar by half -- I should have read the comments before cooking it! I also did not have celery seed -- funny, since I could not find it in German supermarkets! But I ended up using rosemary and would recommend it.

Bill Hettig4 years ago

Wish I had pre-read the notes: this is overly sweet as written. Cut back on sugar and add another 1/2 tsp. salt for a better flavor balance. I also prefer to coarsely slice the potatoes. The large chunks are not as visually interesting.

kh4 years ago

Way too sweet....why is the sugar needed at all?

Allison5 years ago

I would just eliminate the sugar altogether - it will still be delicious, if not more so.

MaryBretired5 years ago

Too sweet for me. Reduced sugar but should have used even less.

kelly5 years ago

I totally agree with all the comments, I should've read them more thoroughly before cooking. There is way too much sugar in this recipe it cancels out the tang of the vinegar. If I made this again I would also add more mustard.

wisconsin6 years ago

This is a perfect recipe-the best German potato salad I have made.

Taypee6 years ago

My family loved it. I used fig vinegar because we were out of apple cider vinegar. I cut the sugar down to 1/2c and it was still too sweet. Next time, I'll use 1/4 cup.

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