Minnie's German Potato Salad

This is a great potato salad for your Labor Day Barbecue.  If you have never tried a non mayonnaise potato salad you are missing out.  I grew up eating this marvelous side dish and it's one of my favorites.  This recipe is my Grandma Minnie's recipe.  She was the most fantastic cook and baker and I know that's where I get my love of baking from.  When I was a little girl and I would spend the night on Friday it was a real treat.  We would get up early and she would make apple strudel and it was so fun to watch her stretch the dough over the whole kitchen table and make it very thin.  She would then add the apples and the rest of the ingredients and roll it up.  She was a master. 

This salad is to be eaten at room temperature since there is a warm bacon dressing on it.  I like my dressing a smidgen on the sweet side but some like the little bite of vinegar, so be careful when adding the sugar and taste as you go along.  Remember when you add the flour roux it will make the sauce a little more mild. This may seem like a lot of bacon to you but you will need it to make enough sauce. The flour roux will make it nice and creamy and will keep the potatoes from getting soggy.

German Potato Salad 

8 medium red OR white rose potatoes, (boil whole and leave the skin on for red ones, peel white ones after you have let them cool a little)

10 slices bacon

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

3/4 cup finely diced celery

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup vinegar

3 tablespoons sugar or more depending on taste

flour and water for roux

3 hard boiled eggs, sliced for garnish

chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Boil the whole un-peeled potatoes until a fork goes in easy.  Be careful not to cook them to long or they will fall apart.  Better to have them under cooked than over cooked. Takes about 15 min. but keep checking them after they start to boil.  When done set aside to cool a little.

Boil eggs and set aside. 

Chop onion and celery and set aside.

Mix a couple of tablespoons flour and water to make a roux as you do when you make gravy and set aside.

Slice the bacon and brown in frying pan.  When browned remove the bacon to drain on paper towel and set aside.  With a low flame add the water, vinegar and sugar to the bacon grease and stir until blended.  Bring mixture to a low bubble and then add some of the flour and water roux.  Add just enough to thicken a little to make it creamy.  Not to thick.  It should be the consistency of thin gravy.

Slice potatoes and add to bowl.  The un-peeled red potatoes make a nice presentation but as you can see by my picture I had the white rose on hand so I used them and peeled them a little after boiling.  Add  celery and onion and half of the fried bacon.  Add sauce to the potatoes and gently mix.  O.K. now this is where you have to taste it again before you garnish in case you want to add salt or pepper and just because you are dying to taste it.  Of course as it sits for a while all the flavors will meld in to the potatoes. Garnish with the other half of the bacon, the eggs and parsley.