German Potato Salad

One bite and you’ll be hooked on the flavor of this sweet-sour treat based on my grandmother’s recipe.

Potatoes wrapped in a sweet-sour sauce with bits of celery, onion, and bacon.

My grandmother made this German potato salad a lot, and I’m happy she left me recipe, tapped out in ALL CAPS on a typewriter (see photo below). The only problem is that Grandma’s version has gluten—she used flour to thicken the sweet-sour sauce. Having made the recipe numerous times myself, I’ve settled on using corn starch—not gluten-free flour—as my thickener. The main reason I chose corn starch is that it dissolves very easily in cold or room-temperature water with the help of a fork, so it’s easy to avoid getting lumps.

Another thing I do differently from Grandma is that I quarter the potatoes and steam them rather than boiling them whole. Boiling potatoes is messy, because often the skins split open and the potatoes get soggy. When you steam them, they’re much easier to handle. If you don’t have the equipment for steaming or feel more comfortable boiling the potatoes, go for boiling—it worked for Grandma!

I’ve mentioned in another recipe (celery and tomato pasta sauce), that celery is likely my least favorite vegetable—yet here it is making another appearance. The celery’s main role here is to add a crunchy contrast in texture with the potatoes, and I wouldn’t make the salad without it.

(Be sure to scroll down to see what Seraphina the cat has been up to.)

Ingredients:

1. 3 pounds boiling potatoes (see note¹)

2. 3 strips of bacon, chopped

3. 1 cup diced onion

4. 2 stalks celery, cut in thin slices

5. 1 cup water

6. 1 tablespoon corn starch

7. ½ cup sugar

8. ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (see note²)

   

   Grandma liked to type out her recipes in all capital letters.

Instructions:

1. Cut the potatoes into quarters and steam them until tender, about 20 minutes

2. While the potatoes are cooking, fry the bacon until the pieces are brown and remove them from the pan when done

3. Add the diced onion to the pan and sauté them until soft, then remove them from the pan

4. Lower the heat under the pan, add the sugar and vinegar, and stir to dissolve the sugar

5. Stir the corn starch in the cup of water until completely dissolved and pour the water slowly into the pan, using a spatula to stir the contents of the pan as you do; let the sauce simmer gently (see note³)

6. While the sauce is simmering, remove the potatoes from the pan and cut them into smaller, bite-sized pieces

7. Put the sautéed onions, bacon, and celery in a large bowl, pour the sauce in, and stir until thoroughly mixed (see note⁴)

8. Serve warm or at room temperature

Here’s how I steam the potatoes.

Pour the sweet-sour sauce into a bowl with the other ingredients.

Cat update: Mouse in the House

There are mice inside that wall, and Seraphina can hear every scratch and squeak, which I cannot hear at all.

Seraphina can hear mice in the walls of the old building where I live, particularly in this one corner, where she will sit and listen intently. Fortunately, the mice never come inside the apartment, although they did long ago before Seraphina arrived on the scene. Whether it is Seraphina’s watchfulness or all the foam insulation I sprayed in the nooks and crannies behind the cabinets that keeps them from coming in again, I cannot say. But I do know that my neighbors in the building who do not have cats have been seeing mice in their apartments.

1. I’ve used all the commonly available types of smooth-skinned potatoes—red, white, and gold—and they all work great for this recipe. I haven’t tried the rough-skinned brown type usually used for baked potatoes.

2. Grandma always used white distilled vinegar, but I like the taste of apple cider vinegar for this. White wine vinegar would also work well.

3. Whether using corn starch or flour, it will take a few minutes over gentle heat for it to fully thicken the sauce—remember to stir from time to time.

4. To avoid breaking up the potatoes while you stir, I recommend a “folding” motion—scrape a spatula down the side of the bowl and across the bottom and lift up (see video below)