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Old-Fashioned German Potato Salad

Old-Fashioned German potato salad with bacon-onion drippings and a tangy vinegar dressing. Sliced russet potatoes are boiled until tender, then tossed with hot, thickened dressing so everything stays warm and lightly glossy.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: German
Calories: 550
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Potatoes
  • 3 lb russet potatoes
Bacon and aromatics
  • 8 bacon
  • 1 onion
  • 1 tbsp flour
Vinegar dressing
  • 0.75 cup beef broth
  • 0.33 cup white vinegar
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp pepper
Garnish
  • 0.25 cup fresh parsley

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Boil and prep
  1. Bring a Dutch oven of water to a boil, then boil the peeled and sliced russet potatoes until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes well and keep them hot.
Cook bacon and sauté onions
  1. Cook the bacon in the Dutch oven over medium heat until crispy, 8 to 10 minutes, and reserve the drippings. Drain excess fat if needed, leaving about 2 tablespoons drippings for the onions.
  2. Sauté the diced onion in the bacon drippings until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir to coat.
Thicken the vinegar dressing
  1. Add the beef broth, white vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper to the onion mixture, stirring until smooth. Simmer over medium-low heat until thickened, 4 to 6 minutes, with a glossy, gravy-like texture.
Combine and serve
  1. Crumble the crispy bacon and add it to the hot potatoes. Pour the hot dressing over the potatoes and bacon and toss gently to coat.
  2. Garnish with the chopped fresh parsley and serve warm, steaming if possible.

Notes

For the best texture, drain the potatoes thoroughly and toss with the dressing immediately while both are hot—this helps the dressing cling. Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stove with a splash of broth to loosen. Freezing is not recommended for this vinegar-based salad. For a lower-sodium option, use reduced-sodium beef broth and reduce the added salt slightly.