Bavarian-Style Skillet Dinner
Hot Kielbasa and German Potato Salad. I grew up loving this dish and have prepared it no less than 100 times. It's especially good the longer the flavors meld with the potatoes, so I would even suggest considering the finished dish served hours later in a slow cooker.
Hot Kielbasa and German Potato Salad. I grew up loving this dish and have prepared it no less than 100 times. It's especially good the longer the flavors meld with the potatoes, so I would even suggest considering the finished dish served hours later in a slow cooker.
- Carbohydrate 53.838276250625 g
- Cholesterol 87.0785 mg
- Fat 44.434861725625 g
- Fiber 5.70433841130368 g
- Protein 20.734769798125 g
- Saturated Fat 15.868407411625 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (406g)
- Sodium 1383.07858166667 mg
- Sugar 48.1339378393213 g
- Trans Fat 3.44959042256249 g
- Calories 694 calories
Step-by-step
- In large skillet over medium heat, heat bacon, potatoes, onion, celery, pickle and 3/4 cup water to boiling. Cover and cook 20 minutes, turning mixture occasionally with pancake turner.
- Into mixture, stir remaining ingredients except knockwurst and parley until well mixed. Add knockwurst; cover and continue cooking until potatoes are fork-tender and knockwurst is heated through, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Spoon potato mixture into heated bowl; top with knockwurst. Garnish with parsley.
Traditional German potato salad is usually served warm with a vinegar dressing, but this skillet variation stews raw potatoes, bacon, and cured sausage together in one pan. Testers attempting to double this recipe often encounter uneven cooking because standard 12-inch skillets lack the surface area required to evaporate three-quarters of a cup of added water within the initial twenty-minute steaming window. Overcrowding the pan traps steam, resulting in waterlogged potatoes before the fat renders properly from the four slices of bacon.
Chemical reactions dictate the texture here: adding the half-cup of cider vinegar and sugar too early in the cooking process toughens the pectin in the potato cell walls, preventing them from becoming fork-tender after the subsequent eight to ten minute simmer. Acid should be introduced only after the starches begin softening. When substituting dill relish for the diced dill pickle, use a strict one-to-one volumetric ratio to avoid excess moisture throwing off the liquid balance.
Holding the finished dish in a slow cooker for several hours deepens the flavor as the starch absorbs the vinegar, salt, and mustard blend, though holding temperatures must remain above 140 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure food safety.
