Southern German Potato Salad (Schwäbische Kartoffelsalat)

By
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
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Updated on 12/18/21
Southern German Potato Salad (Schwäbische Kartoffelsalat)

The Spruce / Ahlam Raffii
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 4 bowls
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
249 Calories
8g Fat
41g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 249
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 10%
Saturated Fat 1g 3%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 284mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 41g 15%
Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 19mg 93%
Calcium 40mg 3%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 1023mg 22%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This southern German recipe for potato salad—which uses broth, vinegar, onions, and mustard for flavoring—is a pleasant change to the one more often made using mayonnaise. The warm cooked potatoes are marinated in the beef broth is what adds a distinctive and rich flavor.

The salad can be served lukewarm enlivening the taste, but it tastes even better the next day, having had time to develop. If not eating immediately, don't forget to refrigerate.

Ingredients

  • 4 medium unpeeled potatoes, about 2 pounds

  • 1 cup beef broth, or vegetable or chicken

  • 3 tablespoons cider vinegar, or white vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons oil

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1 tablespoon mustard

  • 1/2 cup chopped onion

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • Chopped chives, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Gather the ingredients German Salad

    The Spruce / Ahlam Raffii

  2. Scrub potatoes. Place whole potatoes in a large pan, add cold water to almost cover, bring to a boil, and cook until just tender checking frequently to avoid overcooking, about 20 to 30 minutes.

    potatoes cooking in a pot with water

    The Spruce / Ahlam Raffii

  3. Drain potatoes and rinse with cold water. Using a sharp knife, peel while they are still warm; the skin will come away very easily.

    peeled potatoes on a plate

    The Spruce / Ahlam Raffii

  4. Cut cooked potato into slices about 1/8-inch thick.

    potatoes cut into pieces

    The Spruce / Ahlam Raffii

  5. Place potatoes in a bowl. Pour broth over warm potatoes and mix gently. Let sit for 5 minutes.

    potato slices and broth in a bowl

    The Spruce / Ahlam Raffii

  6. In a second bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, sugar, mustard, finely chopped onion, and pepper to make a vinaigrette.

    whisk together the vinegar, oil, sugar, mustard, finely chopped onion, and pepper in a bowl

    The Spruce / Ahlam Raffii

  7. Drain any broth not soaked up by the potatoes from bowl, then pour vinaigrette over and mix gently. Potatoes will start to crumble a bit, but that is expected. Allow potatoes to marinate for 20 minutes before serving. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers for the next day when they taste even better.

    Southern German Potato Salad (Schwäbische Kartoffelsalat) in a bowl

    The Spruce / Ahlam Raffii

Tips

  • Waxy potatoes hold their shape better, but starchy potatoes soak up more broth and flavor. We make the salad using Yukon Gold potatoes, which is in between waxy and starchy.
  • The potatoes will fall apart a little when you stir and this is okay. The starch will help thicken the vinaigrette. To keep the potatoes more intact, stir only briefly and watch the cooking time. Remove the potatoes the moment they are done (you can pierce them easily to the core, but there is slight resistance). If they are splitting or crumbling already when you drain them, you may want to use them for mashed potatoes instead.
  • Chives are traditional for this salad, but they can be hard to come by in the winter. Feel free to leave them out.