German Salad - General Cooking Principles
Residents of Germany have always been distinguished by the fact that they knew how to eat properly and tasty. Real Germans almost regularly eat meat and all kinds of dishes from it, boiled vegetables and pastries in large quantities. Tasty and excellent food, in their opinion, is the key to excellent mood, vigor and cheerfulness.
Abuse German cuisine is not worth it, because it is difficult to find some light dishes. Any food from the regions and peoples of this country is always very satisfying and not small in its volume. Well, when any meal is accompanied by excellent beer, which is difficult to refuse, you can forget about your usual weight.
Nevertheless, German cuisine gave us a wide variety of interesting recipes, which include all the available products. The classic recipe for these peoples cuisine is German salad. In fact, this salad is served as a side dish to the main meat or fish dish. The salad is interesting not for its components, the main of which is potatoes, but the dressing itself. Externally, the salad looks more like slices of boiled potatoes, which are watered with an original sauce with the addition of some products, such as mushrooms or ham. The Germans love this nutritious and nourishing salad, which is incredibly easy to prepare.
German salad - preparing food and dishes
The main ingredient, as mentioned above, is the potato. It is desirable to choose small strong tubers for the salad. Potatoes well washed, and then cook in uniform. We can not allow him to boil soft, otherwise it will be inconvenient to cut it, and ready-made German salad will not look so appetizing. Potato tubers fill with cold water and cook for about twenty minutes. After that, with the help of a fork or knife, you need to pierce one potato and see how easily it “slips” off the fork. If you fell quickly, it means that the jacket potatoes are ready. Now it remains to cool it and clean. Another major ingredient for salad is mustard. You can use the usual Russian, but for the preparation of a classic salad is better to use the French or Dijon. It is less pungent and more aromatic. If that was not found in the refrigerator or the nearest store, then you can use the Russian, only slightly less in volume. Also for refilling you will need vegetable oil, herbs, garlic and wine vinegar.
Since each housewife can cook in a special way, there are a great many recipes for this salad. Many nations “borrowed” a German salad for themselves, adding some ingredients. As a rule, it is meat and aromatic spices.
From the dishes we need a saucepan in which the tubers will be cooked, a bowl for the salad itself and a bowl for mixing the dressing, as well as a knife and fork.
German salad recipes:
Recipe 1: German Salad
This is a classic recipe that for several centuries has been regularly prepared in all homes and restaurants in German cities. The finished dish turns out spicy and attractive, is prepared very quickly. Eat this salad is best chilled. It will taste like traditional Russian potatoes with pickled cucumbers. However, due to the fact that the dish is served cold and slightly spicy, it can be attributed to the category of salads, and not main dishes.
Ingredients Required:
- 6 medium potatoes
- 10 ml of wine vinegar
- A tablespoon of Dijon mustard or half a tablespoon of Russian
- 50 ml of cucumber pickle or marinade
- 4 pickled cucumbers (if it is gherkins, if it is medium-sized cucumbers, then a couple can be)
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- Finely chopped greens
Preparation Method:
While the boiled potatoes are cooling, mix all the other ingredients for refueling. Cut cucumbers very finely and add to the resulting sauce. Potatoes are peeled and cut into either slices or large cubes (with a side of about 2.5 cm). Sliced potatoes pour dressing and decorate with greens. Salt in the finished German salad is not worth adding, because it contains cucumber marinade.
Recipe 2: German salad in Russian
One of the options interpreted by another people. It differs from the original recipe in that new ingredients appear here, and such a salad can hardly be called a side dish to the main dish, rather, it acts as a snack. A bit like the traditional Russian salad “Olivier”.
Ingredients Required:
- Four medium potatoes
- 200 g of ham
- 4 salted or pickled cucumbers
- Greens
- Two tablespoons of mayonnaise
- Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
Preparation Method:
All ingredients are cut into small cubes, the same size, and mixed. For dressing mix mayonnaise and mustard, add finely chopped greens and salt to taste. Ready German salad to fill the resulting sauce and serve.
Recipe 3: German salad with cheese and bacon
This salad will be a great breakfast dish. Of course, it is best to cook it in advance in the evening so as not to waste precious time in the morning. It turns out tasty and nourishing, and also goes well with black coffee.
Ingredients Required:
- 4 medium potatoes
- 100 g of bacon
- 150 g of any cheese (only not processed)
- Garlic clove
- Half Onions
- Tablespoon of olive oil
- Tablespoon of vegetable oil
- A piece of butter
Preparation Method:
Pour vegetable oil into a frying pan, heat and fry chopped onion and finely chopped or chopped garlic on it. Three minutes after the start of roasting we add strips of bacon and fry on each side until cooked (determined by the crunch). About a minute before the end of frying, we throw a piece of butter (the dish will add a delicate flavor and some calories for an energetic day). Cut cheese and potatoes into cubes, add bacon strips to them, mix. Finished German energy salad seasoned with olive oil, salt is not necessary.
Recipe 4: German Herring Salad
This kind of salad is especially adored by the peoples of Germany, since it is a must-have dish on the Christmas table. Germans are generally very warm about herring, making it stand out from the whole fish variety. It is a frequent ingredient in classic German dishes. This salad will amaze you with an interesting combination of flavors.
Ingredients Required:
- 4 medium potatoes
- Small salted herring (can be used and pickled or with spices)
- One green apple
- Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- Two tablespoons of mayonnaise
Preparation Method:
Clean the herring well and get rid of even the smallest seeds that can spoil the impression of a very tasty salad. Cut the fillet into small pieces. Wash the apple, cut off the rind and cut into cubes, boiled potatoes also cut into cubes. All the ingredients combine and mix, and fill the German salad with a mixture of mayonnaise and mustard. Salt is not necessary, you can add chopped greens.
Recipe 5: German Tropical Salad
It differs from other options in that it includes fruits and nuts. Such a salad will appeal to your children if you do not add mustard and other hot spices to it. The salad is nourishing and light, it can serve on the table both as a snack and as an independent dish. And this salad looks bright and summer-like.
Ingredients Required:
- 4 boiled potatoes
- One green apple
- A small jar of canned pineapples or half a medium fresh pineapple
- 150 g of any nuts
- Juice of half lemon
- A pinch of salt
Preparation Method:
Canned pineapples rid of the syrup and cut, if it is a ring, and not slices. Fresh pineapple washed, peeled and cut into cubes. Nuts better chopped. Apple, finally cut into cubes. All the ingredients are mixed and filled with lemon juice, as well as a pinch of salt can be added to taste.
German salad - secrets and tips from the best chefs
Salad can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than three days, so you can change the volume of ingredients and prepare the dish for several days at once or for a large number of people.
The small bones of the herring are easily removed with the help of ordinary tweezers: despite the fact that the process is laborious and long, the result is worth the work.
You can choose pickled herring or fillet pieces, then do not have long to clean it. But noticeably change the taste of the finished dish.
In order for the boiled potatoes to be easily cleaned from the “uniform”, it is enough to cut a cross-section along the whole diameter in each tuber before cooking.