Authentic German Potato Salad
This authentic German potato salad recipe came from Speck’s Restaurant, which was a famous eating establishment in St. Louis from the 1920s through the ‘50s. I ate lunch there almost every day and always ordered the potato salad. When the owner learned I was getting married, he gave me the recipe as a wedding gift! —Violette Klevorn, Washington, Missouri
Ingredients
- 3 pounds medium red potatoes
- 5 bacon strips, diced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1-1/4 cups sugar
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Reviews
I'm making it right now, but already my hubby is loving the smell. I think it is really wonderful sharing the recipe, and what an awesome restaurant owner to give you a great gift like that!!! God Bless him. The best gift ever!
I used a similar recipe designed for Crock Pot. Wow. Mine used 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of cider vinegar. Next time I'll use white vinegar and my red potatoes were full of eyes :-)
I have used this same recipe since 1967. the only difference is 1/4 cup sugar and chopped celery instead of celery seed.
Wow this one is GREAT! But DO NOT USE 1.5 C SUGAR!! Use only 1/4 cup.
Maybe this recipe has a misprint, but it is terribly sweet, and I will never use it again.. The consistancy was very nice, but flavor was sickeningly sweet....I, after making it, compared other recipes and they overall called for no more than 1/4 cup sugar, not 1 and 1/4!....I am a seasoned cook and , in retrospect, should have questioned the amount of sugar!
My mom use to make German Potato Salad. YUMMY! I just might make them for this weekend. Suppose to be rather cold this Thursday through Sunday. I give this this 5 stars. If it had 1,000 stars, you betcha I would click on all of them.
I was also wary when I saw the amount of sugar, so I read the reviews and used half of the amount of sugar called for. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. I made the mistake of simmering the potatoes for the full 25 minutes and they were over cooked and crumbling. My error for not checking doneness. I tried to salvage the dish as a “smashed potato”, but I found it to be WAY to sweet. Disappointed.
This is the real recipe that my German grandmother used to make. One of my favs.
Must be a regional thing the way others want to change many ingredients, they should submit their own recipe. I was not fed this dish as a child and think this recipe is just right. Used russets and it turned out tasty. Wish my mom was still around to taste it with my meatloaf and green beans.
This is almost exactly the recipe my great-grandmother (from Germany) handed down to my Grandmother, my Mother and then me. The only difference is I don't use celery seed and we like to add a few hot pepper flakes. We've also always used apple cider vinegar, not white vinegar and usually use russet potatoes. My family LOVES it!