German Potato Salad with Cucumber & Vinegar Dressing
German potato salad with refreshing cucumber that has a unique and delicious tart flavor.
This German potato salad has a great bite to it.
It’s made with just a handful of ingredients and is one of those recipes where “less is more” because it tastes so amazing with so few ingredients.
The main ingredients are potatoes, cucumbers and onion.
And the wonderful tart flavor comes from apple cider vinegar and salt.
The salt really brings out the flavors so it’s really important to add enough.
When there’s just enough salt, the potato salad should taste wonderfully tart.
German potato salad recipes often include bacon, and as much as I love bacon, I actually like that this recipe doesn’t have bacon in it because the simplicity of the ingredients works really well together.
This potato salad is light, fresh, and a nice change from mayonnaise-based salads.
Apple cider vinegar, cucumbers and diced onions are a perfect match with the potatoes.
This recipe makes approximately 6 servings and actually tastes best when served at room temperature.
Let’s check out the ingredients.
Potato Salad – Russet potatoes, onion, canola oil, apple cider vinegar, cucumbers (use regular cucumbers, not English/Hothouse cucumbers), salt and pepper
Garnish – chopped leftover pieces of the cucumber skin, shredded cucumber and coarsely ground pepper (optional)
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.
For the Potatoes:
Peel the potatoes…
…and cut them into widthwise slices that are between 1/4 and 1/2 of an inch thick.
In a large pot…
…add water and salt.
TIP – Add salt to the pot before the water starts to boil so that the moisture from the steam doesn’t make the salt too “sticky” to pour or sprinkle into the pot.
Don’t be like me and add the salt after the water starts to boil (where most of the salt stuck to my fingers).
Heat the pot on medium heat and bring the water to a boil.
To the pot,
…add the sliced potatoes…
…and gently stir.
Boil the potatoes until they can be sliced with a knife (cooking time is about 6 minutes).
TIP – Be careful not to overcook the potatoes or they’ll be too soft.
Drain the potatoes and let them cool.
For the Cucumbers:
Peel the cucumbers in 1/4-inch strips staggering the peels so that there is 1/4 inch peeled then 1/4 inch of skin showing.
Cut the cucumbers in half widthwise (so that they’re easier to hold on to when shredding them).
Into a medium size bowl…
…shred the cucumbers.
Save some of the skin and shredded cucumber for garnish.
For the Onion:
Dice the onion and…
…add it to the bowl with the shredded cucumber.
Set aside.
For the Dressing:
In a small bowl…
…add apple cider vinegar, and…
canola oil.
Next,
Whisk together and set aside.
For the Potato Salad:
In a large bowl, add the cooked and cooled sliced potatoes…
…and the cucumbers and onions.
Whisk the oil and vinegar again and add it to the potato mixture.
Then add the salt…
…and pepper.
With a soft spatula, gently mix the ingredients together.
Do a taste test and add more salt if needed.
TIP – The salt really makes the potato salad “pop” so as you taste-test the salad, consider using more salt if you’re not tasting a tart flavor.
Garnish with cut pieces of leftover cucumber skin, shredded cucumber and coarsely ground black pepper (optional).
This tastes best when served at room temperature.
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
Wunderbar Kartoffelsalat.
Recipe adapted from a friend’s (Heidi) recipe.
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German Potato Salad with Cucumber & Vinegar Dressing
Ingredients
For the Potatoes:
- 6 medium size russet potatoes for smaller potatoes increase to about 9
- 3 dashes salt for the boiling water
For the Potato Salad:
- 2 whole cucumbers (use regular cucumbers, not English/Hothouse cucumbers)
- 1 small yellow onion peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1/2 teaspoon (heaping) salt add more to taste
- 3 dashes ground black pepper or add to taste
For Garnish:
- Save come cut pieces of leftover cucumber skin, and shredded cucumber
- Coarsely ground pepper (optional)
Instructions
For the Potatoes:
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into widthwise slices that are between 1/4 and 1/2 of an inch thick.
- In a large pot add water and salt. Heat the pot on medium heat and bring the water to a boil.
- Boil the potatoes until they can be sliced with a knife (about 6 minutes). Be careful not to overcook them or they'll be too soft.
- Drain the potatoes and let them cool.
For the Potato Salad:
- For the Cucumbers - Peel the cucumbers in 1/4 inch strips staggering the peels so that there is 1/4 inch peeled, and then 1/4 inch of skin showing.
- Cut the cucumbers in half widthwise (so that they're easier to hold on to when shredding them)
- Into a medium size bowl, shred the cucumbers. Save some of the skin, and shred for garnish.
- To the bowl with the cucumber, add diced onion and stir. Set aside for a moment.
- For the Dressing - In a small bowl, add canola oil and apple cider vinegar. Whisk together and set aside.
For the Assembly:
- In a large bowl, add the cooked and cooled sliced potatoes, cucumbers and onion.
- Whisk the oil and vinegar again and add it to the potato mixture. Add salt and pepper.
- With a soft spatula, gently mix the ingredients together.
- Do a taste test and add more salt if needed (the salt really makes the taste "pop" so consider using more salt if you’re not tasting a tart flavor).
For Garnish:
- Garnish with cut pieces of leftover cucumber skin, shredded cucumber and coarsely ground pepper (optional).
- This tastes best when served at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
- Recipe adapted from a friend's (Heidi) recipe.
Video
Notes
TIPS:
- For Boiling the Potatoes - Add the salt to the pot before the water starts to boil so that the moisture from the steam doesn't make the salt too "sticky" to pour or sprinkle into the pot.
- Be careful not to overcook the potatoes or they'll be too soft.
- After partially peeling the cucumbers, cut them in half widthwise so they're easier to hold on to when shredding them.
- If you're not tasting a "tart" flavor, add more salt until you do.
Comfort Food Recipes
Comfort Food Recipes you may like:
Candied Yams (Sweet Potatoes) with Pecans and Marshmallows
Candied Sweet Potatoes (Canned Yams), with Walnuts and Marshmallows
Biscoff Cookie Butter Blondie Brownies
Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
Easy Skillet Smoked Sausage with Caramelized Barbecue Sauce
Salad Recipes
Here are more salad recipes you may like “Simple Coleslaw“, “Potato Salad with Egg” and “Elbow Macaroni Salad“.
Recipes with Potatoes
More Recipes with Potatoes You May Like:
Potato, Egg and Cheese Scramble
This is the first recipe I found that includes cucumber. Growing up there was a German restaurant that had the best potato salad. I remember asking what made it so good they said cucumber. So glad I found this recipe ?
Hi Margie, the cucumber tastes so good in this salad. I hope you like it. Thank you for your comment!