German potato salad
Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat
Swabian potato salad: warm waxy potato slices dressed with hot stock, vinegar and mustard, then oil and chives. No mayonnaise.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 hr 10 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Southern German potato salad has no mayonnaise in it. Waxy potatoes are boiled in their skins, peeled while hot, sliced thin and dressed at once with a hot mixture of stock, vinegar, mustard, finely chopped onion and salt, so every slice drinks it in. Oil goes on last, then chives. It rests half an hour and should come out loose and glossy, the slices sliding over each other, what Swabians call schlonzig. Serve warm or at room temperature beside schnitzel, sausages or Leberkäse. The north of Germany makes it with mayonnaise and egg. This is the southern way.
What you'll need
10 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Potato, waxy salad potatoes, similar size, unpeeled1 kg
- Vegetable stock, hot250 ml
- White wine vinegar59 ml
- Mustard, medium-hot4.9 ml
- Onion, very finely chopped1 small
- Sunflower oil, or another neutral oil59 ml
- Salt4.9 ml
- Black pepper2½ ml
- Sugar2½ ml
- Chives, snipped44 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water until a knife slides in, 20 to 25 minutes depending on size. Drain and leave 5 minutes so you can handle them.
25 min
Step 2
While they cook, bring the stock to a boil with the onion, vinegar, mustard, salt, sugar and pepper. Simmer 3 minutes to take the rawness off the onion.
5 min
Step 3
Peel the potatoes while hot and slice them 3 mm thick straight into a wide bowl. Pour the hot dressing over as you go and turn gently with a spatula.
10 min
Watch: Hot potatoes absorb; cold ones just sit in a puddle. Work fast and use a tea towel to hold them.
Step 4
Leave 20 to 30 minutes, turning once or twice, until most of the liquid has gone into the potatoes. Add the oil and chives, turn again and taste for vinegar and salt. It should look wet, not dry.
30 min
Tip: If it looks dry, add a splash more hot stock. Dry potato salad is the only failure here.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 321 kcal
- Protein
- 6.1 g
- Carbs
- 46.1 g
- Fat
- 12.7 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.8 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 3.8 g
- Sodium
- 769 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- No major allergens flagged in the structured ingredients.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.
Substitutions
Vegetable stock → Beef or chicken stock
The traditional choice in meat-eating households. Not vegan then.
Tips
- Waxy potatoes only. Floury ones collapse into mash when you dress them.
- It keeps a day in the fridge but bring it back to room temperature and loosen with a little warm stock before serving.
History & culture
The side to every schnitzel in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, and the beer garden plate with a pair of Wienerle. In millions of German homes Christmas Eve supper is sausages with potato salad, because the real meal is the next day. Grandmothers judge it on whether the slices stay whole and whether you were mean with the broth.
Potatoes reached Swabia in the 18th century, and dressing them warm with vinegar and broth rather than a cold egg sauce was farm practice where oil was cheaper than eggs. The north-south mayonnaise divide follows older habits and is still argued at any gathering of Germans from both ends of the country.
Regional variation — Swabian style with broth and vinegar. A Bavarian cook would add cucumber; a northern cook would reach for mayonnaise and call this something else.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does German potato salad take?
1 hr 10 min all in — 15 min prep, 25 min cook, 30 min rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 portions. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
7 more questionsFewer questions
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Mixing bowl, Chef's knife.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
How much sugar?
½ tsp of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Vegetable stock → Beef or chicken stock. The traditional choice in meat-eating households. Not vegan then.
What should I watch for?
Hot potatoes absorb; cold ones just sit in a puddle. Work fast and use a tea towel to hold them.
Any tips from this recipe?
Waxy potatoes only. Floury ones collapse into mash when you dress them. It keeps a day in the fridge but bring it back to room temperature and loosen with a little warm stock before serving.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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