German Potato Salad

I started to post another recipe earlier, and then all the excitement hit (see previous post), and I forgot about the recipe. But, I think you'll enjoy it so here it is.

Of course, like I've said before, seems like all the recipes I've been posting come with a story, and this one's no different.

Mom used to make German potato salad at home a lot. I didn't really like it when I was a kid - it was sour and just tasted "nasty" and had "icky" onions in it. But, as I grew older and my taste buds started dying out - (you know that's why you like things when you get older that you didn't like when you were young, don't you? I read once that your taste buds start dying and so your taste isn't as sensitive as it was in the "kid" years. Anyway, it makes perfect sense to me.) Anyway, as I was saying, as I grew older, I started liking German potato salad, and even got Ma's recipe so I could make it myself.

One of the most fun things we used to do, after moving up here to Octavia and meeting some people from the area, was to bring back Wisconsin treats and have them down for a cookout or dinner. The one thing they all loved above anything was bratwurst. We never came back from a visit to Wisconsin without a few dozen brats wrapped up and stashed in our ice chest.

When we had our big cookout, I'd always make Ma's German potato salad to go along with the brats. They just seem to go together. The first taste or two left these "southerners" a bit cool, but they warmed up pretty good after a few tries. The brats didn't take any time at all.

I found that the only things I could never convince them to even try were: pickled herring, cannibal sandwiches, and smoked fish. First time we brought some smoked chubs home and invited them over to try them, they took one look at those beedy little eyeballs looking back at them and said, "No way. You can keep your fish!"

Now to be fair, I never understood how anyone could eat boiled okra either, and these southern people love that stuff. I don't know how many of you are familiar with boiled okra, but when you pick it up on your fork, the slime runs out like snot. It's really gross. What's worse than that, though, is now I LOVE it. Not boiled necessarily, but steamed. Bill and I can't wait for the okra to get ripe. One of our gardener friends always gives us a big sack of the stuff to enjoy.

I wish you could have seen Ma the first time we had okra for supper. She tried it, but it DEFINITELY wasn't one of her favorite vegetables. The old "clean up your plate" rule that we had when we were kids was definitely coming back to bite her.

Well, back to the German Potato Salad recipe. Hope you will try it. It's really good, and it came from Mom! Another of those things I make that reminds me of her.
JB

Fry 6 slices of bacon that have been diced til golden brown.
Mix together:
1/4 cup of vinegar
3/4 cup water
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch

Add to bacon and cook until clear. Pour over cooked and sliced potatoes. (cook new red potatoes whole, then cool, skin, and slice) Use however many it takes to be covered by the sauce.

Add onion, salt, and pepper to taste.

This should yield about 6 servings.

Till next time.