This is an authentic version of Southern German potato salad, made in the Swabian style. Warm, waxy potatoes are marinated in a beef broth with onion, vinegar, and mustard, then tossed with oil and chives and served warm.
Warm potato salad is a great side dish with any cookout or other German dishes like schnitzel. A lot of the potato salads people are used to in America originated from the Northern German potato salads. Served cold and mixed with mayonnaise, those potato salads have a lot in common.
Unlike their Northern versions, Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat (Swabian potato salad) contains no mayo and is typically served warm or at room temperature. The potatoes are tender, but not mushy, and the potato salad has a mild vinegary flavor and savory taste from the soaked-up beef broth.
When made correctly, Germans would say it’s “schlonzig” or “schlotzig”. The best translations would be something like sloppy, creamy, greasy, wet, etc., but in a good way. In the photos you can see how glossy the potatoes look. That’s a good outcome and adds to the texture and flavor you’re looking for here.
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🥘 Ingredients for Swabian Potato Salad
Like many authentic dishes, authentic German potato salad, or Kartoffelsalat, has many variations. While northern vs southern German potato salad has obvious differences, there’s still many variations within regions and towns, and even within the same family as to what’s traditional. I’ll mention a few common variations further down, but the ingredients here are fairly typical.
Potatoes – Obviously, we need some potatoes. Skip the russets here, they’re too starchy and would fall apart in the hot marinade. In Germany, good options include Annabelle, Charlotte, Marabel, Linda, etc. In the US I recommend Yukon Golds or yellow potatoes.
Onion – I prefer yellow or Spanish onions here, but you could also use white, sweet, or red as well.
Beef Broth – Use good quality beef broth or stock here for the marinade. If you use a base like Better than Bouillon, use more than called for, like 1 ½ teaspoons for ¾ cup.
Vinegar – I prefer white wine or white distilled vinegar here, but some recipes will use apple cider vinegar. Personally, I find that overpowering to the other flavors, but feel free to experiment.
Mustard – Optional, but just a bit of mustard adds flavor and additional tang. Use a mild German mustard if you can find it or look for one labeled Dusseldorf style. If you can’t find any locally, Dijon makes a decent substitute.
Seasoning – Add salt and black or white ground pepper to the marinade. Depending on the beef broth you use, you might need more, but start with the amount listed in the recipe card below and add more before serving if you think it needs some more.
Oil – Toss the marinated potatoes in a neutral oil like vegetable, canola, grapeseed, or sunflower oil. Do not use olive oil here.
Chives – Optional, but chives are a very common topping for this style of potato salad. Other options include parsley and dill.
🔪 How to Make Southern German Potato Salad
Starting with the potatoes, add whole, unpeeled potatoes to a pot and cover with at least an inch of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until a fork or paring knife can easily pierce them without resistance, about 15-20 minutes or so. Drain and set aside to cool enough to handle.
While the potatoes cool, add the beef broth, diced onion, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then lower to a bare simmer.
Peel the potatoes and slice about ¼” thick. Place the sliced potatoes into a large heat-resistant, but not metal bowl.
Pour the hot marinade over the potatoes, give them a gentle stir and then cover for about an hour.
After the potatoes have soaked for an hour, uncover and stir in the oil and some of the chopped chives. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Can be served now while warm and topped with more chives.
For the best flavor, allow to come to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. The potatoes will continue to soak up more flavor doing this. Before serving, remove it from the refrigerator and let the potato salad sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
If there’s still a good amount of liquid at the bottom of the bowl, use a slotted spoon to serve.
📖 Southern German Potato Salad Variations
As mentioned before, there’s literally 100s of variations on German potato salad across the country. What’s authentic to one region or city may be different across the street or within the same family. For true authenticity, always listen to your Oma.
Bacon – A lot of German potato salad recipes you’ll see in America include bacon, and while optional, you’ll find bacon included in German recipes as well. Cook diced bacon and you can add it to the beef broth with everything else. You can also reserve some of all of it and mix it in later with the oil to keep it crispy.
Vegetarian/Vegan – For a vegetarian or vegan German potato salad, switch out the beef broth for vegetable broth. The only other things to watch for vegans would be the white wine vinegar and mustard. Both are generally vegan-friendly but check the manufacturer’s website to be sure.
Seasoning & Herbs – Generally salt, pepper, and chives are all you need. Some common variations include white ground pepper, celery seed, parsley, or dill.
Add-Ins – Other than bacon, another common addition is pickles, gherkins, or cornichons, with a bit of their brining liquid as well. Sometimes just a bit of sugar is added to balance the acidity of the vinegar. Some recipes also include minced garlic.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
In the US, most potato salads are similar to the northern German potato salad styles that were brought over from German immigrants. These are the mayonnaise-based potato salads most people are used to. In southern Germany, there’s a lot more potato salads that are vinegar-based and may be marinated in broth. These are also typically served warm or at room temperature.
Not necessarily hot, but usually warm or near room temperature if they’re not a mayo-based potato salad. You can remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving or transfer it to a baking dish and warm it in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes as well.
While you technically could, I don’t recommend it. Frozen and thawed potato salad doesn’t hold up well, as the potatoes will become watery and mushy as they thaw.
🥗 What to Serve with German Potato Salad
German potato salad is typically served as a side dish and goes well on any plate you may normally have fries or mashed potatoes. In Germany, potato salad is a popular side dish with most meats, like schnitzel, sausages like Bockwurst and Bratwurst, roast chicken, and German meatballs (frikadellen).
While a popular side dish for meats, southern German potato salad also pairs well with most BBQ and cookout side dishes. At an American cookout, consider pairing it with other sides like:
- Barbecue Baked Beans
- Coleslaw
- Collard Greens
- Pasta Salad
- Grilled Corn
- Mac n’ Cheese
❄️ Storing & Reheating German Potato Salad
Once cooled completely, you can cover the heatproof bowl you made the potato salad in, or transfer to an airtight container. Store refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
While you could technically freeze it as well for 2-3 months, I don’t recommend it. Like cooked pasta, cooked potatoes don’t hold up well to being frozen and thawed. When thawed, they become watery and mushy, and you lose a lot of flavor and texture.
When you’re ready to serve, or want to serve leftovers, remove them from the refrigerator beforehand and leave it at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
If you prefer them a bit warmer, you can transfer to a baking dish and cover. Heat in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes. You can also heat smaller portions in the microwave in shorter bursts, stirring, and heating until it’s at the desired temperature.
📋 Recipe
Authentic Southern German Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- ¾ cup beef broth, or stock
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar, or white distilled or apple cider
- 2 teaspoons German mustard, or Dijon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, or white pepper
- ¼ cup neutral oil
- 1 bunch chives for garnish, chopped
Directions
- Starting with the potatoes, add 2 ½ pounds of whole, unpeeled potatoes to a pot and cover with at least an inch of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until a fork or paring knife can easily pierce them without resistance, about 15-20 minutes or so. Drain and set aside to cool enough to handle.
- While the potatoes cool, add ¾ cup beef broth, 1 diced onion, 2 teaspoons German mustard, ¼ cup white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then lower to a bare simmer.
- Peel the potatoes and slice about ¼” thick. Place the sliced potatoes into a large heat-resistant, but not metal bowl.
- Pour the hot marinade over the potatoes, give them a gentle stir and then cover for about an hour.
- After the potatoes have soaked for an hour, uncover and stir in ¼ cup neutral oil and some of the chopped chives. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Can be served now while warm and topped with more chives.
- For the best flavor, allow to come to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. The potatoes will continue to soak up more flavor doing this. Before serving, remove it from the refrigerator and let the potato salad sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- If there’s still a good amount of liquid at the bottom of the bowl, use a slotted spoon to serve.
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