A standard German potato salad, but very good, I think
- Carbohydrate 53.643319031395 g
- Cholesterol 15.232 mg
- Fat 10.3888616696471 g
- Fiber 6.79633738507547 g
- Protein 8.90488882393277 g
- Saturated Fat 3.44079150897479 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (349g)
- Sodium 237.416840931933 mg
- Sugar 46.8469816463195 g
- Trans Fat 1.17922000268907 g
- Calories 341 calories
Step-by-step
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes; cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and slice.
- Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Reserve bacon fat.
- Add the flour, sugar, water and vinegar to skillet and cook in reserved bacon fat over medium heat until dressing is thick.
- Add bacon, potatoes and green onions to skillet and stir until coated. Cook until heated and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
Operating within a single skillet requires strategic management of residual heat to prevent the roux from burning while building the warm vinegar dressing. Cooking the potatoes until they remain tender yet firm prevents them from disintegrating into mush when combined with the hot liquid. Starch molecules gelatinize during boiling and later absorb the seasoned fat and liquid mixture effectively.
Whisking all-purpose flour directly into the rendered bacon fat creates a foundational roux that thickens the water and vinegar combination without forming lumps. Maintaining medium heat ensures the starches hydrate properly and eliminate any raw flour taste before the potatoes enter the pan. Salt and pepper additions require tasting incrementally because bacon contributes significant sodium.
Refrigerating this dish overnight allows the potatoes to undergo retrogradation, forming resistant starch that changes the texture and firms each slice. Cold storage lets the acetic acid from the white vinegar deeply penetrate the potato cells. Reheating gently on the stove restores the initial silkiness of the emulsified dressing.
Stirring the green onions in at the very end preserves their bright sulfur compounds and crisp bite against the soft starch. Serving the dish warm highlights the contrast between the sharp vinegar and the savory pork fat.
