Grandma’s Potato Salad & Kottenbutter with Harald & Viola Wüsthof

For German Potato Salad:

• 2 pounds waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold (about 6 large), peeled

• 3 tablespoons neutral oil

• 3 small white onions, diced

• ¼ cup white wine vinegar

• 1 ¼ cups vegetable broth

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• ½ teaspoon sugar

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

For the Kottenbutter:

• ½ loaf German rye sourdough or German brown bread

• 4 tablespoons salted butter, softened

• 1 smoked pork sausage, such as Mettwurst, sliced

• Thinly sliced white onion, thinly sliced radishes, chopped fresh chives, and spicy mustard, for serving

1. To make the potato salad, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Cut the potatoes into 1-inch pieces and set aside in a large bowl. 

2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, vegetable broth, bay leaf, mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Bring to a boil.

3. While the onion-broth mixture is boiling, whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water until dissolved. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the onion-broth mixture and bring to a boil once more. Simmer until the mixture has thickened and slightly reduced, about 3 minutes longer.

4. Pour the onion-broth mixture into the bowl with the potatoes. Gently stir. It will look quite wet at this point — that’s fine! Let the potatoes soak in the broth for 25 minutes to absorb the flavor (and excess liquid). Just before serving, season to taste with more salt, if needed, and stir in the chopped fresh parsley. 

5. To make the kottenbutter, thinly slice the bread into 1/4" pieces. Evenly butter each slice. Add a slice of smoked sausage and any (or all) toppings of your choosing: white onion, radishes, chives, and/or spicy mustard. For a classic lunch along the Wupper River, enjoy the kottenbutter with potato salad and, if you’d like, a cold beer.