Oktoberfest: German Potato Salad

Even though the temperatures are still fairly warm here in Richmond, the autumn equinox is officially behind us. While we've begrudgingly moved on from tanlines and sandals, the world has already started celebrating its favorite fall festival: Oktoberfest. Even if you aren't one of the millions celebrating in Munich, you can still join in the fun with people all over the world who partake in this annual sausage fest.

Brian and I went to the recently-opened Metzger Bar and Butchery and picked up sausages for the occasion. Here's what we chose for our wurst platter:

• Traditional Bratwurst (Metzger) - sausage made from pork in a natural casing
• Nuremberg Sausage (Metzger) - smaller and thinner bratwurst, traditionally from the city of Nuremberg, with ground lamb added to increase fat content
• Saturday Night (SausageCraft)- fine-ground pork flavored with garlic, local Hardywood Park beer, and lots of Siracha sauce
• Kasekrainer (SausageCraft) - Austrian style sausage with pork, beef, Gruyere cheese and bacon

While I would have loved to have found authentic knockwurst or frankfurters, each sausage we had was different and equally delicious. Topped with Metzger's housemade red cabbage sauerkraut, the meat was perfection!

Meats aside, a good wurst platter wouldn't be complete without authentic German Potato Salad. This recipe comes from my Oma, the most German person I know. Potatoes are boiled, sliced thin, and mixed with mayonnaise, sour cream, and warm water - allowing it to maintain both the cider vinegar and sugar taste - ultimately making it an absolutely delicious pairing to the wurst.

Stay tuned for another Oktoberfest post this week!

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German Potato Salad

• 3 pounds small new potatoes
• ½ cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons Heinz cider vinegar
• ½ cup water, warmed
• 2 tablespoons Duke’s Mayonnaise
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped
• ½ cup sour cream (optional)

1. Place potatoes in a large pot of water. Bring potatoes to a boil for about 25 minutes or until fork can easily pierce the center.

2. Allow potatoes to cool, then cut into thin slices while still warm. Place slices in in a large bowl. Add onion, salt, pepper, sugar, oil, cider vinegar, and warm water. Toss gently.

3. Taste and add more cider vinegar if necessary. Add mayonnaise and sour cream, mix, and refrigerate.

4. Sprinkle with parsley, mix, and serve.