Take your potato salad to new heights with this easy and delicious Austrian Potato Salad (Erdäpfelsalat). This vinegar based side features a bit of crunch and color from red onion and some added tanginess from mustard. Serve it with schnitzel or any other protein you like!
Many cultures have their own versions of potato salad. It's a ubiquitous side dish throughout many parts of the world. The name erdäpfelsalat is derived from the old German word for potatoes, which is erdapfel meaning earth or ground apples. The literal translation is "earth-apple salad."
Erdäpfelsalat or Austrian potato salad is made with sliced potatoes, a vinegar base with added mustard, broth of some kind, neutral oil, and onion. There can, of course, be variations.
I found some recipes for Austrian potato salad to be overly fussy, aging the potatoes, peeling them before boiling, but still boiling the peeled potatoes with the peel added to the water, and so on.
Erdäpfelsalat is meant to be a rustic, comforting side dish. This isn't haute cuisine. Don't overthink it. This version is simple, straightforward, and extremely easy!
Ingredient notes
- Potatoes: Use waxy potatoes, such as white, red, yellow, or Yukon Gold. My preference is yellow or Yukon gold. For the best results, look for potatoes that are small to medium but also quite uniform in size so they will cook evenly.
- Oil: Use a neutral-tasting oil, such as vegetable, canola, sunflower, or grapeseed oil. Avoid using olive oil which has a stronger flavor and is not traditional in this erdäpfelsalat recipe.
- Onion: Although you could use white or yellow onion for this Austrian potato salad, the red onion provides a nice color contrast rather than blending in.
- Broth: I use Organic Free Range Chicken Broth from Trader Joe’s which is more opaque than some other varieties of broth or stock, so it looks cloudy in the photos but that’s just how it is. You could use beef or vegetable broth as well.
- Mustard: Tarragon mustard is the traditional mustard component in erdäpfelsalat. Although it can be found in grocery stores throughout Austria, it can be harder to find in the United States. Dijon mustard is an acceptable substitute, though it will yield a slightly different flavor. I actually am not a big fan of tarragon so I am happy using the less traditional Dijon.
How to make it
Wash the potatoes well, but don’t peel them. Add them to a pot, cover with cold water, and salt the water.
Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the size of your potatoes) or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork. Do not overcook them or they’ll fall apart.
Meanwhile, add the broth to a small saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer uncovered until approximately reduced by half, about 20 to 25 minutes (may vary depending on surface area of saucepan,etc), yielding about ⅔ cup. This will help concentrate the flavor. Immediately stir in the vinegar, mustard and sugar. Keep the mixture hot until ready to use.
Drain the potatoes and set aside to cool slightly. Once they are just cool enough to handle but still warm, peel them and cut them into ¼-inch thick slices. Transfer the sliced potatoes to a large mixing bowl.
Add the hot vinegar-broth mixture, the finely diced red onion, salt and pepper to the still warm potatoes in the mixing bowl.
Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to combine.
Add the oil and stir again so the potatoes start to release some of their starch into the dressing to thicken it. The mixture will look soupy at first, but give it time.
Set the salad aside to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, stirring it every 10 minutes so the dressing absorbs evenly. The mixture will thicken as time goes on.
Stir in the minced chives, then taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Garnish erdäpfelsalat with more chives if desired.
Serve warm (after 30 minutes of resting), at room temperature or cold. You may refrigerate this Austrian potato salad for up to 3 days.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips and FAQs
It’s fine and acceptable if your potatoes break up a bit when mixing this Austrian potato salad. In my research many of the photos from Austrian restaurants (arguably the most authentic source) had a more broken down looking salad rather than a salad with perfect unbroken slices. It’s unrealistic to expect the slices to stay completely intact after mixing.
Cooked potatoes tend to fall apart less if you cut them when they're cold, however in this recipe you want the potatoes to be hot/warm to really absorb the dressing.
It’s very traditional to serve Austrian potato salad with schnitzel, but being a vinegar based potato salad it’s a great compliment to other heavy meat dishes where the acidity of the vinegar can balance out the fat. You could serve it with any protein though. I even made this for an American style cookout (instead of a mayo based potato salad) and everyone raved over it and had seconds.
Other recipes you may like
- Ensaladilla Rusa (Spanish Potato Salad)
- Himmel und Erde (German Heaven and Earth Potatoes)
- Hutspot (Dutch Mashed Potatoes, Onions, and Carrots)
- Krautfleckerl (Austrian Cabbage and Noodles)
- Kasnocken (Austrian Spaetzle with Cheese and Onions)
- Vanillekipferl (Austrian Vanilla Crescent Cookies)
- Apfelstrudel (Austrian Apple Strudel)
- Cremeschnitte (Austrian Cream Slices)
- Buchteln (Austrian Stuffed Sweet Rolls)
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Erdäpfelsalat (Austrian Potato Salad)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900 grams) waxy potatoes, preferably Yukon gold or other yellow/gold potatoes small to medium in size
- Kosher salt
- 1 ⅓ cups good quality chicken broth or stock or beef or vegetable broth
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tarragon mustard (estragon-senf) or Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 cup finely diced red onion
- ¼ cup neutral flavored oil like vegetable or sunflower oil
- Freshly ground black or white pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Wash the potatoes well, but don’t peel them. Add them to a pot, cover with cold water, and salt the water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the size of your potatoes) or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork. Do not overcook them or they’ll fall apart.
- Meanwhile, add the broth to a small saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer uncovered until approximately reduced by half, about 20 to 25 minutes (may vary depending on surface area of saucepan,etc), yielding about ⅔ cup. This will help concentrate the flavor. Immediately stir in the vinegar, mustard and sugar. Keep the mixture hot until ready to use.
- Drain the potatoes and set aside to cool slightly. Once they are just cool enough to handle but still warm, peel them and cut them into ¼-inch thick slices. Transfer the sliced potatoes to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the hot vinegar-broth mixture, the finely diced red onion, salt and pepper to the still warm potatoes in the mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to combine. Add the oil and stir again so the potatoes start to release some of their starch into the dressing to thicken it. The mixture will look soupy at first, but give it time.
- Set the salad aside to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, stirring it every 10 minutes so the dressing absorbs evenly. The mixture will thicken as time goes on. Stir in the minced chives, then taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Garnish with more chives if desired.
- Serve warm (after 30 minutes of resting), at room temperature or cold. You may refrigerate this Austrian potato salad for up to 3 days.
Notes
- The best potatoes for potato salad are waxy potatoes such as white, red, yellow, Yukon Gold, or fingerling. I prefer Yukon Gold or other yellow or gold-fleshed potatoes for this recipe. Don’t use starchy potatoes, such as Russets, as they tend to fall apart and won’t hold their shape as well. Even within the range of waxy potatoes mentioned above, some will hold their shape when sliced better than others.
- For the best results, look for potatoes that are small to medium but also quite uniform in size so they will cook evenly.
- It’s fine and acceptable if your potatoes break up a bit when mixing this Austrian potato salad. In my research many of the photos from Austrian restaurants (arguably the most authentic source) had a more broken down looking salad rather than a salad with perfect unbroken slices.
- Use a neutral-tasting oil, such as vegetable, canola, sunflower, or grapeseed oil. Avoid using olive oil which has a stronger flavor and is not traditional in this recipe.
- Tarragon mustard is the traditional mustard component in erdäpfelsalat. Although it can be found in grocery stores throughout Austria, it can be harder to find in the United States. Dijon mustard is an acceptable substitute, though it will yield a slightly different flavor. I actually am not a big fan of tarragon so I am happy using the less traditional Dijon.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Ghost says
Great!