145. GERMAN POTATO SALAD with BACON

a.k.a. "Nuremberg Potato Salad"

serves 6


2 lb. Red Bliss potatoes

Dressing:
3/4 cup diced bacon (1/4 lb.)
3/4 cup minced yellow onion
1 1/2 teaspoons flour
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 to 1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh curly parsley
1 teaspoon celery seed

In a heavy saucepan that accommodates the potatoes without crowding, place the potatoes , water to cover, and about 1 teaspoon salt per quart of water. Cover partially, bring to a boil, and cook until tender when pierced, 20 to 25 minutes after the water has returned to a boil. Drain the potatoes in a colander. When cool enought to handle, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place in a bowl.

Meanwhile, make the dressing: in a small skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until just crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the onion and saute until just tender but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir in 1/4 cup of the vinegar and the 1/2 cup water until smooth. Taste and add more vinegar if the mixture is not tart enough. Add the flour mixture to the bacon, then simmer over low heat, stirring, until slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.

Pour the hot dressing over the potatoes and add the remaining 1/4 cup onion, the parsley, and the celery seed. Toss the salad by pouring it from one bowl to another until the potatoes are well coated.

Serve the salad immediately, or let cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight, then serve cold.


courtesy of: Mary Ellen Shields, The Manor on Golden Pond / from Potato Salad: Fifty Favorite Recipes, by Barbara Lauterbach. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2002, p. 90.