This creamy northern German potato salad is a delicious regional recipe that differs from the southern German potato salads. Made with mayonnaise, eggs, pickles, dill and mustard (affiliate link), this recipe is one of my favourite German salads.
It is almost as if there are as many potato salad recipes in Germany as there is grains of sand on the beach. Every household has their own recipe. I grew up in Frankfurt (central Germany) and moved to Bremen, which lies in northern Germany, in my thirties. So this potato salad recipe is different from those I grew up with.
Northern vs Southern German Potato Salad
What is the difference between the potato salad recipe from the north of Germany and the south of Germany? The main difference is the potato salad dressing. In the north of Germany, they like it creamy with mayonnaise whereas in the south of Germany they prefer their potato salads lighter. So the vinaigrette is made with vinegar and oil. A classic example of a southern salad is the traditional "Swabian Potato Salad".
Another characteristic of some north German potato salad recipes is the addition of boiled eggs to the ingredients.
According to a study by the German Press Agency, 40% of Germans prefer their potato salad dressing with mayonnaise, followed by 22% with vinegar and oil, 10% like it best just with broth and 8% with yoghurt. Only 8% actually say they do not like potato salad or prefer a completely different kind. [Source: Die Zeit: Bei Kartoffelsalat gehen die Geschmäcker auseinander]
Other German Potato salad recipes with vinegar and oil dressings
How to make
Ingredients you will need:
- potatoes (waxy potatoes are best)
- white onion
- fresh dill
- pickled gherkins (affiliate link)
- 3 eggs (optional)
- gherkin-jar water
- 2 tsp mustard (affiliate link) try using German mustard (affiliate link) if not Dijon mustard (affiliate link) will do.
- vegetable stock (affiliate link)
- mayonnaise (for the authentic taste you should use the full 80% fat one - but if you want you can substitute with low fat or even replace with sour cream and yoghurt).
Recipe Steps:
- Place the potatoes in a pot of water with some salt and bring to a boil. Boil until the potatoes are soft, which takes approximately 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, you can hard boil the eggs, which should take between 8 -10 minutes. Leave to cool completely before using.
- Prepare the stock/broth.
- Peel the onion and chop it up into cubes. Place them in the hot broth to take away its sharpness.
- Stir in the mustard (affiliate link) and gherkin water into the broth until well mixed.
- Finely chop the dill and cube the pickled gherkins (affiliate link). Peel the eggs and slice them into cubes.
- Once the potatoes are soft, peel them and then slice them into bitesize pieces.
- While the potatoes are still warm, place them in a large salad bowl and pour over the still warm stock/broth mixture.
- Add the gherkins and eggs and leave the rest for approximately 2 hours. You can leave it in the fridge or leave it to rest at room temperature.
- Before serving add the mayonnaise to the salad.
What to serve this creamy potato salad with?
Potato salads are one of the favourite side dishes in German cuisines. In Germany we eat it with just about anything, but here are some popular suggestions:
- Sausages such as Frankfurters, Grilled Brats or Weisswurst
- With Schnitzel such as Pork Schnitzel, Wiener Schnitzel, Turkey Schnitzel or Cordon Bleu
- with grilled meats such as Schwenkbraten or Grillfackeln
How to store
This creamy potato salad with eggs and mayo will last in the fridge for about a day. Unfortunately, potato salad with mayonnaise has a short shelf-life. So if you want a cold German potato salad with mayonnaise, I suggest just adding in the mayonnaise an hour before serving and letting it cool down in the fridge. So you can prepare the salad a day before, minus the mayonaise.
It is not recommended that you freeze potato salad with a mayonnaise dressing.
More German Salad Recipes
Did you try this recipe?
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Traditional Northern German Potato Salad with Mayo and Eggs
Ingredients
- 800 g potatoes 28 oz- waxy potatoes are best
- 1 white onion about 120 gr /4 oz
- fresh dill about 30 g / 1 oz
- 100 g pickled gherkins 3.5 oz
- 3 eggs medium size and hard boiled
- 50 ml gherkin- jar water 1.6 fl oz
- 2 teaspoon mustard try using German mustard if not Dijon mustard will do.
- 180 ml vegetable stock/ vegetable broth 6 fl oz
- 250 g mayonaise 9 oz - exact measurements to taste
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a pot of water with some salt and bring to a boil. Boil until the potatoes are soft, which takes approximately 20 minutes.
- In the meantime you can hard boil the eggs, which should take between 8-10 minutes. Leave to cool completely before using.
- Prepare the stock/broth.
- Peel the onion and chop up into cubes. Put them in the hot broth to take away its sharpness.
- Stir in the mustard and gherkin water with the broth until combined.
- Chop the dill finely and cube the pickled gherkins. Peel the eggs and slice into cubes.
- Once the potatoes are boiled, peel them and then slice them into bitesize pieces.
- While the potatoes are are still warm, place them in a large salad bowl and pour over the still warm stock/broth mixture.
- Add the gherkins and eggs and leave the rest for approximately 2 hours. You can leave it in the fridge or leave to rest at room temperature.
- Before serving add the mayonnaise to the salad.
The combination of eggs, potatoes and gherkins sounds really appealing. Just need to get me some gherkins.