Time to add some more German recipes, and what better one than the Classic German Potato Salad with Crème Fraîche.
Now, there are thousands of different German Potato Salad recipes, simply because every family added their own little twist and *secret* ingredients to just make it the best. I can't say that mine is their best, but it is certainly a favourite of my family.
Of course there has to be some sort of a story to go with this recipe, right?! LOL 😂
Before my son, Titus, and his then girlfriend Rose prepared to leave England to move to Sydney, Australia, via Thailand in 2004 (yes, thankfully they only just escaped the tsunami tragedy), he requested one of mum's potato salads with sliced Bockwurst (smoked pork sausage).
He was staying with a group of people, so, thinking how much he liked the potato salad, I decided to make two large dish wash bowls full. One for him, and the other one for the other folk to share.
Report came back to me that he shared a bowl full of the potato salad with the others ... after he had munched himself through his own ... go figure LOL.
There are certain ways in which a German potato salad is different to English or American. The first being that the non-German tends to be made mainly with just mayonnaise and is quite heavy and gloopy.
I did not recommend amounts of the ingredients, simply because every person/family has their own preferences. So, do the taste check as you go.
OK so, let's start with the potatoes.
The potatoes MUST boil in their skins, absolutely no peeling and cutting up, else they loose that particular flavour.
Next, after they boiled for a while (depending on how many you cook), you'll notice that the skin lifts slightly. Please don't overcook them.
After the potatoes finished boiling, drain them and leave them to cool. I just leave them in cold water till they are manageable to peel. The potato peel is paper thin and comes off easily then.
Next, prepare the dressing. I dissolve half of a vegetable stock cube (potato salad for two people) in about half a cup of boiling water, then add
some Dijon mustard (small amount, you can always add more if you wish), a small amount of pickle juice (again, do the taste check when it's done, you can always add more), French salad dressing (optional), Crème Fraîche and mayonnaise. You want the consistency to be silky and creamy, not heavy and gloopy.
Next, chop a really generous amount of parsley and green onions/spring onions/scallions. If you wish you could add a tiny amount of chopped celery. Give it a good stir and do your taste check.
Next, thinly slice your potatoes. Yes, sliced not cubed, simply because you want to have maximum amount of surface for the dressing to be absorbed.
Finally, gently fold the potato slices into the dressing ... you don't want to break up the slices.
Now, the key element is: do not serve the potato salad immediately. It is actually the best the next day! So, cover it and leave it in the refrigerator for a few hours at least.
This is particularly important if you choose to slice into it some Bockwurst.
Basically the potato salad goes with soo many dishes, with Bockwurst, Bratwurst, and many other meats.
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Alternatively, you can also add some pickled herring with chopped up sharp/sour apple, for a change, with thin slices of white onions ... (obviously not with the smoked sausage LOL). Again, allow the flavours to mingle for a few hours at least.
Enjoy,
