German
Potato
Salad
Most potato salads
are delicious, but this
vintage German version
had fixer-upper written
all over it. by Alli Berkey
WHEN I WAS a kid, every road trip
to my grandmother’s house resulted
in a race to the refrigerator for the
first helping of potato salad. Usually
served as a side dish but often eaten as
a snack, the boiled, dressed-up spuds
always hit the spot.
Potato salad is a spectacularly
flexible concept. Ask one person to
describe the perfect potato salad,
and then ask another—you’ll get
two different answers. I did just that,
soliciting ideas from coworkers, but
as soon as one described so-called
German potato salad, with red
potatoes, plenty of bacon, the tangy
bite of mustard, and a sharp vinegary
finish, I was intrigued. This style
of potato salad has a velvety, almost
creamy texture, which gives it an
extra-comforting profile, especially in
cooler months.
All potato salads start with the
potatoes, and I needed to figure out
how to cut mine for the best ratio of
potatoes to dressing and add-ins. I
also wanted potatoes that were soft
but not mushy. After testing chunks,
halves, and slices of red potatoes, I
found that ¼-inch-thick slices boiled
for about 15 minutes were best.
Following a cue from some old
recipes I found, I decided to add salt,
sugar, and celery seeds to the boiling
water to help flavor the potatoes.
Now I was ready for the dressing.
All the research I’d done indicated
that a strong vinegar presence was
essential here. So I whisked together a
few dressings using varying styles and
amounts of vinegar. Cider vinegar,
with its strong tangy flavor and faint
sweetness, won out over distilled
white and wine vinegars. And while
some dressings called for olive oil
or canola oil, the best just called for
using the flavorful rendered fat from
the bacon.
Tossing the warm potatoes with
this dressing and then giving them a15-minute rest to absorb it created an
irresistible salad. A heaping handful
of fresh scallions and chopped parsley
finished it off. I had the creamy,
bacon-enriched, supercomforting
salad I’d set out to create.GERMAN POTATO SALAD
Serves 4 to 6
We developed this recipe with Grey
Poupon Harvest Coarse Ground
Mustard. Use small red potatoes
measuring 1 to 2 inches in diameter.8 slices bacon, cut into
½-inch pieces
2 pounds small red potatoes,
unpeeled, sliced ¼ inch thick
3 cups water
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon celery seeds
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
4 scallions, sliced thin
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons finely chopped sweet
green vinegar peppers (optional)- Cook bacon in 12-inch nonstick
skillet over medium heat until
crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Using slot-
ted spoon, transfer bacon to paper
towel–lined plate. Pour bacon fat
into liquid measuring cup. (You will
need ¼ cup fat for dressing. If you
have too much or too little, you can
discard excess or add vegetable oil as
needed to equal ¼ cup). Set aside.- Add potatoes, water, 2 tablespoons
sugar, celery seeds, and 1 teaspoon
salt to now-empty skillet. Bring to
boil over high heat. Cook, stirring
occasionally, until potatoes are tender,
about 15 minutes. Continue to cook
until liquid is syrupy and just coats
bottom of skillet, 3 to 5 minutes
longer. Transfer potatoes and cooking
liquid to large bowl. - Stir vinegar, mustard, ¼ teaspoon
salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and remain-
ing 1 teaspoon sugar into reserved
bacon fat until combined. Add
dressing to potato mixture and stir to
thoroughly combine. Let sit for
15 minutes. - Add scallions; parsley; peppers,
if using; and bacon to potato mix-
ture. Using rubber spatula, firmly
stir to partially break up potatoes
and give salad creamy texture, about
20 strokes. Serve warm.
Bacon fat provides
flavor and sheen to
this pleasantly sharp
potato salad.SWEET-AND-SOUR BABY BACK RIBS
Serves 4 to 6
For a slightly spicier sauce, we leave the
seeds in the jalapeños when slicing them
into rings. If you’re averse to spice,
remove the seeds before slicing.
SAUCE
1 cup orange juice
½ cup sugar
1⁄3 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed
and sliced into thin rings
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
RIBS
2 (2-pound) racks baby back ribs,
trimmed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 scallions, sliced thin on bias
- FOR THE SAUCE: Whisk orange
juice, sugar, vinegar, ketchup, soy
sauce, cornstarch, and fish sauce
together in bowl. Heat oil in medium
saucepan over medium-high heat until
shimmering. Add jalapeños, garlic,
and ginger and cook until fragrant,
about 30 seconds. Stir in orange juice
mixture and bring to boil. Cook,
stirring occasionally, until thickened,
about 3 minutes. Transfer ½ cup sauce
to bowl, leaving jalapeños behind, and
set aside. - FOR THE RIBS: Adjust oven rack
to middle position and heat oven to
325 degrees. Line rimmed baking
sheet with aluminum foil and set wire
rack in sheet. Sprinkle ribs all over
with salt and pepper. Place ribs on
prepared wire rack and brush all over
with reserved sauce (use all sauce).
Arrange ribs meat side up. Roast until
tender (fork inserted into meat will
meet no resistance) and middle of rib
rack registers at least 205 degrees, 2 to
2½ hours. - Brush tops of ribs with ¼ cup
remaining sauce. Return ribs to oven
and roast until sauce sets, about
10 minutes. Let ribs cool for 5 min-
utes. Reheat remaining sauce over
medium heat until hot, about 4 min-
utes. Cut ribs between bones. Toss
ribs, half of scallions, and remaining
sauce together in large bowl. Transfer
to serving platter and sprinkle with
remaining scallions. Serve.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 • COOK’S COUNTRY 7