Warm Potato Salad

I'm letting foraged ingredients shine in this warm potato salad!

Of course, you can do it cold as a salad, but I think the warm version is best! While the classic potato salad comes with mayonnaise and eggs, I decided to great my version of the authentic german potato salad with foraged ingredients.

The best part about this recipe is that it comes together pretty quickly. It's coming with me to all the summer parties...or maybe my back porch because of *introvert energy*. 

This is a simple warm potato salad recipe with field garlic greens and vinegar infused with young spruce tips. The spruce vinegar gives it an earthy, woodsy flavor that pairs well with the potatoes and garlic greens.

Why you'll love spruce vinegar

Spruce vinegar is a traditional ingredient in Russian cuisine, used to flavor and preserve foods. It's made by distilling the needles of spruce trees, which yield an aromatic liquid.  

The inspiration came to me after making this spruce tip vinegar. After letting the bright green tips infuse in the white vinegar for a few days, it was ready for me to taste. The bright, citrusy acidic flavors immediately made me think of a potato salad with fresh herbs, and this vinegar was at its center. 

You can substitute spruce vinegar for balsamic in any recipe where you would use the latter ingredient—it has an equally rich taste but with less acidity, so it won't give your dish that vinegary twang that some people don't enjoy.

Jump to:

• Why you'll love spruce vinegar
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Expert tips
• Variations: 
• Storage
• Serving suggestions
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Ingredients

This recipe is great for a side dish or picnic food. It's also great if you want to make some extra potatoes for dinner and have leftovers!

Small new potatoes

small yellow potatoes are the best for this recipe. A traditional german potato salad recipe uses red potatoes, but I decided to sub them for what I had on hand. 

Spruce vinegar

You can use apple cider vinegar, but rice vinegar or a splash of lemon juice would also be a good substitute.

Olive oil

I used olive oil, but substituting some bacon grease could be an exciting swap in for some fat content.

Field Garlic Tops

Green onions, chives, or fresh dill could be a good swap here, but the field garlic is an excellent foraged green that's the best of both worlds. 

Salt and black pepper to taste (optional)

Instructions

Place potatoes in a pot of water boiling water. Let them cook until fork tender, about 20 minutes. 

While the potatoes are boiling, mix vinegar with field garlic, garlic mustard leaves point, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Remove the hot potatoes with a slotted spoon, and once slightly cooled, roughly slice them. 

Add warm potatoes to a medium bowl and toss gently until well coated with dressing (you will have some leftover extra dressing). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving so flavors can meld together.

Transfer your potato mixture to a serving bowl and top with herbs for serving. 

Expert tips

A large bowl is the best choice for mixing this salad if you want to work in more herbs. Generally, it's easier to mix all the ingredients with a large spoon, and it's easier to taste the balance of flavors at one time.

Use a small spoon when you taste a small amount of potato salad from your mixing bowl. This way, you can ensure that each bite has equal amounts of dressing and potatoes without overwhelming your taste buds with vinegar or salt.

Variations: 

Extra veggies are a great addition to your salad! Radishes, green beans, or some red onion makes this the perfect seasonal main dish.

If bacon is your thing, adding bacon drippings along with your chopped bacon is a great way to add protein and fats to the dish.

Roast those potatoes! Instead of boiling, roast potatoes

Storage

This delicious potato salad is best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and will keep for four days.

Serving suggestions

Warm potato salad is a great dish to serve at any time. It's a nice side for almost any main course, and it goes well with salads and soups. 

If you're making this as a warm side to share, we recommend cutting the potatoes into larger pieces so that people can quickly grab them with their fingers. 

Keep some extra spruce vinegar on hand if people want more dipping sauce!

It can serve as a side dish or an appetizer for a barbecue party or potluck. It's one of those dishes that is both simple and so good that you'll want to make it again and again!