It’s the season of Octoberfest and there’s nothing like a good German Hot Potato Salad to complement the tangy sauerkraut, beefy brats, cold beer and all your fall favorites during this special German celebration.

Octoberfest originated in Germany and the reason for the first Oktoberfest (German spelling) in 1810 was the wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities began on October 12th and ended on October 17th with a horse race. Many Germans have immigrated to America and brought their food and festivities with them. And if you didn't know it, there is a large community in Texas, so Octoberfest is celebrated in many parts of the United States today. It is a wonderful way to enjoy the season and eat some of the traditional foods that have been brought to America.

This recipe is full of natural, fresh ingredients from our godmother’s recipe book with just a few changes for the modern cook like adding paprika, substituting apple cider vinegar with the mother and a dash of fresh garlic cloves but you’re going to love it. And yes, it has real bacon. For this recipe we found what we call butcher's bacon - cut and presented by the butcher, and we prefer this to packaged bacon which can have a lot of preservatives. But use what you can find!

A hot salad is a classic for the American table. Make this for your next gathering and enjoy the best potato salad, whether you serve it hot or cold.

German Hot Potato Salad 

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

4 lb red potatoes

2 tsp salt for boiling

24 oz butcher’s bacon

2/3 C apple cider vinegar with the mother

3 T sugar

2 T dijon mustard

1 tsp salt for seasoning

2 T fresh garlic cloves (about 6 cloves), minced

1 C fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp paprika or to taste

Wash and dice the potatoes into large chunks, keeping skins on. Add to pot with cold water. Generously salt water, bring to a boil and simmer 20-25 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Turn off and leave pot on burner.

Dice the bacon into 1” wedges and cook in cast iron skillet until crisp, then drain on paper towels. 

Whisk vinegar, sugar, dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper, then pour into the bacon fat/onion mixture in the pan. Bring just to a boil and reduce by 1/3 then turn off heat and add potatoes, turning gently in the sauce. Add bacon and parsley and turn to coat. Best served hot but leftovers can be refrigerated and served cold.

This salad will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Oompah!