Insalata germanica

As a follow-up to the Oktoberfest post, I would like to highlight a few more german dishes that were featured at the fest (as sides to the staple dishes), but never make it into the major news - that has to end.


Kartoffelsalat Bacon pieces and onions are fried to golden/crispiness. Add some plain vinegar, and, after this does some sizzling action, also beef stock, and maybe some fresh parsley - this whole happiness is poured over boiled and cooled down, sliced potatoes. Mix well and store cool for a couple of hours or over night.
The dressing will soak in to the potatoes and will add to the potato salad the appeal of fried potatoes with bacon - together this is a refreshing, hearty dish that can be a centerpiece to remember.
At the recent Oktoberfest, people were raving about this salad made by the hosts after their either bavarian and saxonian recipes- when I made it in the past, especially americans were really intrigued by it. Some, because it reminded them on what their german grandmother used to make, others simply because. Not surprising to me :-)


Bohnensalat mit Gurke salad from steamed green beans, with cucumber slices and white onions - very lightly acidic with plain vinegar. The beans typically need a little more salt than other salads, in my experience. Actually, I have never had this with cucumbers in it and found it to be a really nice summery take on the very common german green bean salad.


Gurkensalat Cucumbers are sliced thin and mixed with a dressing made from heavy cream, a pinch of salt, maybe a little white pepper, where I grew up also lots of dill, and white, plain vinegar. Be courageous with the vinegar, the acid helps the cucumber taste standing out and makes this not just a side dish, but elevates it to a standalone that is great, cool and fresh on a hot summer night.

This salad, as the above as well, improves immensely from sitting for a couple of hours - the vinegar gets to better extract all the goodies from the other ingredients, the dill distributes its aromas, and the cucumbers have more time to penetrate the cream with their flavor. It's so good..

Actually, with all these salads, acidity is a really important tool - the potato salad, for example, changes attitude entirely when you give it some sour edge, it gets so much more than just cold fried potatoes with some bacon on them..