Traditionally German potato salad is served warm, however this is great as a cold side dish especially if you need something delicious and impressive for a pot luck or a stable recipe for a picnic, as it contains no mayonnaise. My version of this old recipe has the addition of finely diced bell peppers, which gives this salad a great texture and a fresh crunch.

If you wish to serve this German-style Summer Potato Salad recipe cold, then refrigerate the potatoes after cooking to chill. Otherwise, leave them at room temperature as you continue with the rest of the recipe. Whichever way you serve this salad it will be a hit with everyone who tries it. It's full of flavor and lighter in calories than a traditional potato salad.

You can easily omit the bacon from this recipe to make this vegetarian and vegan friendly. Instead of using the bacon fat to cook the onions, just use a little olive oil. If you are making this for a crowd you can easily double this recipe. I guarantee you will not have many leftovers.
Enjoy!
Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. baby new white potatoes (or 1 bag)
1/2 lb. bacon
1 small red onion
1/3 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. mustard
1 cup bell peppers, diced small
1/3 cup fresh cilantro or flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Cut any large potatoes into halves or quarters and place in a large pan, covering with water. Bring to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork tender, approximately 10 - 15 minutes. Drain and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process.

2. In a skillet, cook the bacon until it becomes crisp (reserving the bacon fat) and drain on paper towels. Chop the bacon into small pieces and set aside. Dice the onion finely.

3. In the same skillet you cooked the bacon add approximately 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat and cook the onion until it becomes opaque. Add the vinegar, sugar, mustard, bacon and bell peppers and cook for approximately 5 minutes.

4. If you are serving this salad warm, add the potatoes to the pan and stir gently to combine until the potatoes are heated through, adding the cilantro at the last minute. If serving cold, add the bacon and onion mixture and the cilantro to the potatoes in a large bowl, stirring gently to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking and chill in the refrigerator to blend the flavors. Garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley.