The Serpent’s Tooth Sunday Suppers: Warm Red-Skinned German Potato Salad Recipe 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁
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Austin is now the trendy number one city, but back in the eighties it was more laid back – not so many skyscrapers and urban hipsters. Just outside of town, you'd be likely to run into old cowboys, ranch hands, and a diamondback or two. And just maybe – an accidental death not as accidental as it seems…
From Amazon reviews:
“What a great escape! A nostalgic trip back to the 80s to a place where life was more real and slow-paced.”
“An intriguing novelette set in 1980’s Texas with an engaging cast of characters. “
“Reading and recipes. What more could you want?”
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It’s nearing the end of BBQ season, but we can all smell the mouth-watering aromas floating in the air around us. Our German Potato Salad is from Different Drummer’s novel, The Serpent’s Tooth, which ends with a glorious outdoor feast. Today’s recipe is from a character in The Serpent’s Tooth.
CHRIS CAVECROFT: Owner of the patch of land next to Charlotte’s, he shares a disputed fence line and pond with Henry, who was about to sue him over it before his demise. With Henry gone, that worry disappears.
Warm Red-Skinned German Potato Salad
A nice change of pace from our American mayonnaise based potato salad. Apple cider vinegar and warm bacon grease form the delicious dressing. (Different Drummer prefers hers without the sugar, but you decide.)
Ingredients
2 pounds red potatoes
1 teaspoon salt, for boiling the potatoes
12 ounces bacon
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar (Optional)
3 Tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic, about 3 large cloves
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
1. Scrub the potatoes and cut any large potatoes in half so that all of the potatoes are approximately equally sized. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Reduce heat and simmer the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender when stabbed with a fork. Drain the water. Leaving the potatoes in the pot, return the pot to the still-hot (but turned off) burner. Leave the lid off of the pot and allow the potatoes to steam dry for a couple minutes.
2. Set another large pot over medium heat and, using kitchen shears, cut the bacon strips into approximately 1-inch pieces directly into the pot. Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crispy. While the bacon is cooking, cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch thick slices, cutting any extremely large slices in half. Set aside. Once the bacon is done, remove the pot from the stove and use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces to a plate or bowl while leaving the bacon grease in the pot (I had about 1/4 cup).
3. Slowly and carefully add vinegar, sugar, sour cream, Dijon, salt, and pepper to the pot of bacon grease. Place the pot back on the burner, bring the mixture to a simmer, and stir for a couple of minutes. Stir the minced garlic into the mixture and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the garlic starts to turn a light golden. Remove the pot from the heat and toss in the sliced potatoes, gently mixing until potatoes have absorbed all of the liquid. Carefully fold in the cooked bacon pieces and chopped parsley. Transfer the potato salad to a serving dish and serve hot or warm. Potato salad should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours before refrigerating any leftovers.
*Notes
Make sure that the pot is off of the burner and the bacon grease has slightly cooled before slowly and carefully adding the vinegar (in order to prevent the mixture from potentially bubbling up)
