Potato Salad

Ingredients

• German-style (warm, vinegar-based)
• 900 g waxy potatoes, whole, unpeeled
• 150 g bacon, cut into lardons
• 60 ml white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp sugar
• to taste salt and black pepper, freshly ground
• American-style (cold, mayo-based)
• 900 g waxy potatoes, whole, unpeeled
• 4 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 120 g mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard
• to taste salt and black pepper, freshly ground

Method

1. 1
   BOTH STYLES — Cook the potatoes whole and unpeeled in well-salted boiling water until a skewer passes through the centre without resistance. Drain and allow to cool only until they can be handled.
2. 2
   GERMAN-STYLE — While the potatoes cook, render the bacon lardons in a dry pan over medium heat until the fat runs and the edges colour. Add the chopped onion to the pan and soften it in the bacon fat. Pour in the vinegar and sugar, stir, and bring briefly to a simmer; the dressing should smell sharp and faintly sweet.
3. 3
   GERMAN-STYLE — Peel and slice the still-warm potatoes and fold them immediately into the warm bacon dressing. This is where the dish lives or dies: the hot potato slices must meet the hot dressing so that they drink it in rather than repel it. The surface of each slice should turn translucent and glossy, not stay starchy and opaque.
4. 4
   GERMAN-STYLE — Season with salt and black pepper. Serve warm; the salad should still carry heat when it reaches the table.
5. 5
   AMERICAN-STYLE — Peel the cooked potatoes once cool enough to handle and cut into rough chunks. Allow to cool fully to room temperature before proceeding.
6. 6
   AMERICAN-STYLE — Stir the mayonnaise and mustard together, then fold in the potato chunks, chopped egg, and celery. The celery should remain audibly crisp when a piece is bitten; if it has softened, the textural contrast that defines this style is gone.
7. 7
   AMERICAN-STYLE — Season with salt and black pepper, then refrigerate until fully cold. Taste once more before serving; chilling dulls salt, and a second seasoning is almost always required.