German Potato Salad with Cucumber & Vinegar Dressing
German potato salad with refreshing cucumber that has a unique and delicious tart flavor.
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.