German potato salad like my mother-in-law made, with bacon, hardboiled egg and a warm dressing made with pickle juice.
I never had the chance to know my mother-in-law, but from the stories I’ve heard, I truly missed out. My sister-in-law Paula has called her a saint more than once. My husband remembers her as always cheerful with a great sense of humor—qualities that would certainly help raising seven boys.
Can you imagine a household with seven sons? The mealtime stories are hilarious. Mary’s mother and his paternal grandmother also each had seven children—what are the odds? Mary was always in the kitchen or ironing, deeply rooted in her faith, and my husband says she was the most spiritual person he’s known. He often mentions the twinkle in her eye.
Whenever we visit Ohio it’s a crowd—lots of uncles and cousins. Mary’s potato salad showed up at many gatherings: holidays, graduations, and memorials. Paula learned the recipe from Mary and gave it to me. I wrote down the ingredients but no directions (typical for me), so I had Paula walk me through the steps. This is the only German potato salad I’ve ever made—and it’s authentic. Mary learned it from her mother and their family was genuinely German.
When I finished making the salad I called my husband to taste it. His first comment was that his mom cut the potatoes smaller. After a bite he said “mmmm” and asked for more salt. A little later he declared it perfect—better than his mom’s. That surprised me because he hated this salad as a child and never ate it. People change! He likes it now, and so do I—I’ll definitely make it again.
So kids, here’s grandma Mary’s German potato salad. Next I’ll try to learn her cabbage rolls, which I know my husband always loved. Best, Kelly
Mary’s German Potato Salad
Pin
Rate
Ingredients
- 8 medium red potatoes
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 4–5 hard boiled eggs, chopped
- 5 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 cup sweet pickle juice (from a jar of sweet pickles)
- Optional: chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Place whole red potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Add a couple good pinches of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until just tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly. Peel with a paring knife, cut into cubes, and transfer to a large bowl.
- While the potatoes cool, cook the chopped bacon in a skillet until the fat renders and it starts to brown. Add the chopped onion, sprinkle with a little salt, and cook until the onion is translucent and the bacon is crisp.
- Pour the bacon and onion mixture, including the drippings, over the potatoes.
- Add the chopped celery and hard boiled eggs. Mix gently to combine.
- In a saucepan, whisk together the sugar, the raw egg, salt, and cornstarch over medium heat until the mixture thickens and becomes creamy.
- Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the pickle juice slowly, stirring constantly.
- Return the pan to the heat and bring the dressing to a boil, stirring frequently. Let it boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat.
- Add the hot dressing a little at a time to the potato mixture, mixing gently. Do not add all the dressing at once — a few spoonfuls at a time until you reach the desired consistency and flavor. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate any remaining dressing and the salad; bring to room temperature before serving and add more dressing if needed.