Hot German Potato Salad

As featured in The Applegatarian. 

"When my husband, Eric, was in 7th grade German class, the students had to pick a German dish to prepare for their classmates. He has always been a passionate fan of both bacon and vinegar, so German potato salad was an obvious choice. As he says, 'It's one of the greatest dishes ever contrived by humans! He's been making it every year since for the holidays."
-Liz Smith, Applegate Senior Innovation and Process Manager

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds red potatoes
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 (8-oz) packages APPLEGATE®SUNDAY BACON® bacon
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 1⁄3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1-3 tablespoons granulated sugar Freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  1. Place the whole potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and stir in 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork, 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  2. Drain well, then return the potatoes to the pot. Return the pot to the still-hot (but turned off) burner. Let the potatoes steam-dry, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pot gently once or twice.
  3. Cut the bacon crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Cook the bacon in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8-10 minutes.
  4. While the bacon is cooking, cut the potatoes into 1-inch chunks. Set aside.
  5. When the bacon is done, use a slotted spoon to transfer the pieces to a plate. Pour off all but 4 tablespoons bacon grease from the skillet.
  6. Add the onion to the bacon grease and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat. Carefully add the vinegar, mustard, 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and½ teaspoon pepper to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Taste and add more sugar if you like.
  7. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the potatoes, gently mixing until the potatoes have absorbed all of the dressing. Carefully fold in the bacon and parsley.
  8. Transfer the potato salad to a serving dish and serve hot or warm.