Easy Potato Salad Recipe (northern German style): Oma's Kartoffelsalat

by: Gerhild Fulson  /  Cookbook Author, Blogger, German Oma!

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My quick and easy potato salad recipe, aka Kartoffelsalat, can be made from scratch within 30 minutes! Best of all, this salad tastes delicious hot, warm, or cold! My whole family loves potato salad (especially me!).

I just didn't like the traditional way of making it. It would take "forever". First, boil the potatoes. Cool. Peel. Slice. Prepare and gently mix in dressing. 

This salad mimics the ones made by my Mutti from the northern part of Germany. That's why there's mayo in this German Potato Salad!

What, you say? Mayonnaise?

Yes, absolutely. Just the way it's made in many homes in the north. Check my comments below about this.

Mayonnaise in German Potato Salad?

Someone may be thinking, "This isn't German!" ... but it is. It's fashioned after the potato salad my Mutti made, and she's from Berlin.

In northern Germany, many of the potato salads are creamy (mayonnaise-based) and in southern Germany, the salads have a bacon/vinegary/broth based dressing. However, this is not always the case. Some in the south use mayo, and some in the north like the bacon/vinegary ones. 

Two completely different types of dressings. Both totally traditionally German!

Step-by-Step Method shown here ...

You'll love my method. This really quick and easy potato salad recipe has it all. It's tasty; it's quick; it's traditional; and, oh, so German! 

Raw potatoes to finished salad in less than 30 minutes!

Grab your copy of Oma's favorite salads in her Summer Salads e-Cookbook.

Take a peek at all Oma's eCookbooks. They make sharing your German heritage a delicious adventure!

The Secret to quick ...

• The secret in making this Kartoffelsalat is in cutting the washed, unpeeled, raw "new" potatoes into cubes - the size you want them in the salad.
• If you don't like to eat the peel, then peel the potatoes ... and if the potatoes aren't "new" potatoes, you will need to peel.
• Boil them until just tender - DO NOT OVERCOOK!
• Meanwhile, make dressing and put into serving bowl. Add cooked, drained potato cubes. Stir. Enjoy! 

Oma Says:

Be careful when boiling cut potatoes, because they foam. You are losing some of the nutrients by cooking cut-up potatoes.

That happens anytime you cook cut vegetables. So, don't throw out the cooking water - refrigerate and save for soups.

Potato cooking water is especially good to use as liquid in gravies.

Ready to make this easy potato salad?

Is the recipe below locked? Here's why. 

Print Recipe

Oma's Easy Potato Salad Recipe
(northern German style) 

My quick and easy potato salad recipe, aka Kartoffelsalat, can be made from scratch within 30 minutes! Best of all, this salad tastes delicious hot, warm, or cold! My whole family loves potato salad (especially me!).

It's a northern German variation, because it uses mayonnaise. My fav!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings:

Makes 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients:

• approx. 3 pounds potatoes, cut up, approx. 8 cups (see notes below)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup liquid from dill pickles
• ¼ - 1 small onion, chopped (amount is your preference)
• 3 - 4 dill pickles, chopped (more or less to taste) 
• salt and pepper to season
• dill weed to season

Instructions:

1. Wash and cut up unpeeled potatoes (see notes below). Put in pot with hot water, 1 tsp salt, and bring to boil. Watch that it doesn't boil over (it foams). 
2. Boil potatoes for about 10 minutes, until just tender. DO NOT OVERCOOK. Meanwhile, in serving bowl, add mayonnaise and pickle juice. Whisk until smooth.
3. Add chopped onion and dill pickle to dressing. 
4. Drain potatoes when tender. Return them in the pot to the heat momentarily to steam the potatoes dry, shaking the pot occasionally so they don't burn. Then add them to dressing in serving bowl. Mix gently.
5. Season with extra salt, pepper, and dill weed. 
6. Serve hot, warm, or cold. The longer you let it stand, the more flavor is developed, but it does taste great immediately.

Notes/Hints:

• The secret in making this Kartoffelsalat is in cutting the washed, unpeeled, raw "new" potatoes into cubes - the size you want them in the salad.
• Use waxy potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes.
• If you don't like to eat the peel, then peel the potatoes ... and if the potatoes aren't "new" potatoes, you will need to peel.
• Add chopped hard boiled eggs if you have them.
• If you don't have hard boiled eggs ready, you can always add a couple of eggs into the water that's cooking the potatoes. The eggs will be done when the potatoes are done! Rinse them under cold water, peel, chop, and add.
• Chopped celery, radishes, and apple (unpeeled) are nice additions to add.
• Make sure you use an actual mayonnaise, not a salad dressing.

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Easy Potato Salad Recipe made Just like Oma



By Oma Gerhild Fulson





 Oma's quick and easy potato salad recipe can be made from scratch within 30 minutes! Tastes delicious hot, warm, or cold! Use her method to alter your own recipe into a quick one.


Ingredients: potatoes, mayonnaise, dill pickles, dill pickle liquid, onion, seasonings, onion,

For the full recipe, scroll up ...

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More about me >

Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.