Mary Studer's German Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs. red potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup celery, chopped or thinly sliced
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots, shredded (optional)
• 1/2 cup bacon grease
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup plain white vinegar (inexpensive brand is perfect)
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 or 1 inch thick sliced cooked ham (I use Boar’s Head Low Sodium Black Forest)
• 12 oz. sliced bacon, divided. (I use Sendik’s Thick Sliced.)
• Sliced green onion and green tops or chives, divided
• 4 sliced hard cooked eggs

Directions:

1. Fry bacon until golden brown. (I bake my bacon on a rack over a baking sheet at 300 to 325℉  until achieve desired doneness. Remove from oven.) Place on a paper towel lined plate and blot to remove excess fat. Drain bacon drippings through a sieve into a liquid measuring cup. Add additional bacon grease or other fat to measure 1/2 cup. 
2. Place potatoes in a bowl with enough water to cover. Slice three green onions and green tops or 1/3 cup chopped chives. Keep each vegetable in a separate small prep bowl. Chop onion and red pepper into 1/2 inch cubes; thinly slice or chop celery into ½ inch cubes; finely shred carrot and squeeze out excess moisture between a few layers of paper towel or clean dish towel. Chop ham into 1/2 inch cubes. 
3. Blend sugar, flour, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Stir into bacon drippings to make a smooth paste. In a separate bowl, combine the vinegar and water.
4. Sauté onions and celery in a small amount of olive oil in a 5 quart pan on medium heat until translucent. Add shredded carrot and red pepper and heat until soft. Remove potatoes from water and remove excess moisture with several layers of paper towels or clean dish towels. Add potatoes to vegetable mixture and stir. Add the flour paste mixture to the potato mixture and stir. Heat. When mixture is hot, add 1/2 of the vinegar and water. Continue to stir until mixture thickens. Turn stove down to low (not simmer) and cook until potatoes soften but not so much as to have them break down. Stir often to prevent potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add more vinegar / water mixture if desire thinner consistency. Add cubed ham and stir. Cut three slices cooked bacon into small pieces and stir in most of it. Save the rest of the cooked bacon for BLT! Slice hard cooked eggs and add in two of them along with most of the chives or sliced green onion and green tops. Reserve small amount of bacon, green onion or chives, and two sliced hard cooked eggs for garnish
5. Serve warm or cold. Can easily be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated. Garnish with additional bacon, sliced hard cooked eggs and either chives or thinly sliced green onion tops.

Note: I have tried many deli and restaurant German Potato Salads. Some are very sweet. Others don’t have enough little kick which the sugar / vinegar ratio in this recipe provides. This recipe has just the right blend of sweet and sour to provide the piquant flavor we enjoy.

Submitted by Rose Mary Walecki