Warm German Potato Salad (Kartoffelsalat)

Warm German potato salad, also called kartoffelsalat, is a staple side dish in German cooking that can be served for any casual or fancy occasion.

Casual enough to serve alongside chicken cutlets or schnitzel on a Monday but delicious enough to serve on Christmas Day, warm German potato salad is always a hit and well received by both children and adults.

I have been making warm german potato salad, also called kartoffelsalat, for as long as I have been cooking. It was among the first foods I learned how to cook and also one of the first I made for my now-husband when we had just started dating.

There exists a sort of a family joke at this point when I serve it up as a side dish for new dining guests of ours. It’s generally a toss up between “what is that?” and “I’ve only ever had cold potato salad before”.

Feeling empathetic towards their previous mayonnaise misfortunes, I hand them a plate of this warm kartoffelsalat instead to introduce them to the wonderful world of German food (which goes far beyond pickles and pretzels!).

WARM GERMAN POTATO SALAD (KARTOFFELSALAT) RECIPE

This recipe takes between 30-45 minutes to complete. You can prep in advance by dicing the onions and bacon ahead of time then store in a container until you are ready to cook a day or two later.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds of red potatoes
• 1 pound of bacon, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cup warm chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons hot German mustard
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup oil (canola, vegetable, or avocado works well)
• Salt to taste
• Ground pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons freshly cut chives for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Boil potatoes with skins on in lightly salted water until fork tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Once cool enough to safely handle, remove the skins of the potatoes under cold water. Place peeled potatoes back into the large pot for later.
3. Cook bacon in a skillet until brown. Add the onions to the skillet and saute in the bacon grease over low heat until they begin to turn clear. 
4. In a separate mixing bowl, mix hot mustard, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of chicken broth together.
5. Add the bacon-onion mixture to the pot with the potatoes. Break the potatoes into smaller chunks with a mixing spoon. 
6. Pour the chicken broth mixture over the potatoes and mix well. Let sit for 10 minutes to develop flavor and taste. If needed, add the remaining chicken broth and additional salt.
7. Serve warm at room temperature (never hot) and garnish with fresh chives, if desired.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH WARM GERMAN POTATO SALAD (KARTOFFELSALAT)

Part sweet, part tang, warm German potato salad pairs well as a side dish for any casual or fancy meal.

For us, this typically includes stuffing coated pork chops, German red cabbage with apples, slow cooker pot roast, beef rouladen, scweineschnitzel, or simple chicken cutlets. You really can’t go wrong.