Salads
Smoke-Roasted German-Style Potato Salad
When it comes to potato salad, there are two basic schools: German-style (flavored with vinegar and bacon) and American-style (mayonnaise- and mustard-based). Both get a Raichlen makeover by, you guessed it, smoke-roasting the spuds instead of boiling them. Here’s the German version—sweet with sugar, tart with vinegar, and smoky with bacon. If meat isn’t your thing, you could substitute the shiitake bacon (or leave it out). A more familiar American mayonnaise- and mustard-based potato salad follows.
Smoke-Roasted German-Style Potato Salad
Recipe Notes
- Active Prep: 10 minutes
- Grill Time: 30 to 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6
- Method: Indirect grilling/ember-grilling (caveman grilling)
- Equipment: Can be grilled over charcoal or gas, but tastes best grilled over wood. You’ll also need a disposable aluminum foil drip pan and, if using a charcoal or gas grill, hardwood chunks or chips (soaked)
Ingredients
FOR THE POTATO SALAD
- 2 pounds fingerling potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
- 1-1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra as needed to finish the salad
- Coarse salt (sea or kosher) and freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for the dressing
FOR THE DRESSING
- 4 strips thick-cut bacon (about 6 ounces), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slivers
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon Düsseldorf-style or Dijon mustard, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
Recipe Steps
1: Smoke-roast the potatoes: Scrub the spuds under running water with a stiff vegetable brush. (There is no need to peel them.) Blot dry with paper towels. Cut any large potatoes in quarters or halves so they all are the same size (about 1 inch).
2: Set up your grill for indirect grilling and heat to medium-high.
3: Arrange the potatoes and onion in a disposable aluminum foil pan. Toss with the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
4: Place the foil pan with the potatoes and onion on the grill grate away from the heat. If enhancing a charcoal fire, add the wood chunks or chips to the coals; if enhancing a gas fire, place the chunks or chips in your grill’s smoker box or place chunks under the grate directly over one or more burners. Close the grill lid.
5: Smoke-roast the potatoes and onion until just tender, 30 to 40 minutes, or as needed. Stir a few times so they cook evenly.
6: Move the pan directly over the fire and direct grill the vegetables until browned and crusty, about another 3 minutes, stirring often. Transfer the potatoes to a large heatproof mixing bowl and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Dice the onion and add it to the potatoes; re-cover the bowl.
7: Meanwhile, make the dressing: Place the bacon in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat on your grill’s side burner (or on the stovetop) until browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring while it cooks. (You’ll get less sticking and better crisping if you start with a cool pan.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to the bowl with the potatoes (leave the bacon fat in the pan) and keep warm.
8: Add the vinegar and sugar to taste to the bacon fat in the pan and bring to a boil, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the mustard, horseradish, and salt and pepper to taste.
9: Pour the hot dressing over the still warm potatoes and onion and toss to mix. Add salt, pepper, olive oil, or more vinegar to taste: The salad should be highly seasoned. The salad should also be moist—add olive oil as needed. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Tips
I like to make this salad with white or yellow fingerling potatoes. Three incredibly flavorful varieties are Ratte and Bintje, now available in some US markets, and Baby Dutch Yellow (distributed by Melissa’s). Alternatively, use Yukon Golds.
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How to Grill Vegetables
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