German Family Father's (Land) Day. It sounds a little ominous, doesn't it? Well it's delicious... I realized this year that about this time of the season, like the solstice, we start to hunger for some GERMAN FOOD. Around the time of my father's birthday and Father's Day we find our way to the German butcher for some treats. This year, we wandered to The Edelweiss Sausage & Delicatessen, our neighborhood German butcher located in "Historic Brooklyn", just off of SE Powell at the Ross Island Bridge. This place has been here for many years, and since I grew up in a German family in Portland, I'm certain my folks know the owners.
Taking a number at the counter, I searched my childhood memories for menu ideas. Father's Day: blood sausage and calves' liver spread for the men (Blutwurst und Kalbsleber). Cervelot (a cured German tar-tar salami) and Lappi (a Finnish cheese) for the girls. With Bavarian dark rye and "hunter's bread" (Jaegerbrot) from Neumann's German Bakery, Inc for all.
Blutwurst with onions. My first appreciation of this was in the Old-Dusseldorf brewery Uerige...
And now for my own Father's Day potato salad experiment. Fried potatoes, adding prosciutto, onion, garlic and vinegar for my Northwest take on warm German potato salad.
Crisp up the prosciutto in olive oil. Set aside in a bowl.
Onions cooked crispy in olive oil (don't burn the oil...). Set aside.
Add oil and garlic as a starter for the potatoes. Let the garlic release it's essence, don't brown or overcook!
Add the potatoes. Coat liberally with olive oil. The key is to seal the potatoes in a semi-crispy shell while slowly cooking the inside. I forgot to mention that these potatoes need to be sliced about 1/4" by 1", thin enough to cook through in a pan of oil (without pre-boiling).
Add kosher salt, pepper, basil and dill to taste while cooking.
As the potatoes are finishing, add the prosciutto ham and onions back for flavor. Mix thoroughly and add white wine vinegar to taste (I used about 1/3 cup).
Kill the heat, cover and let stand until ready to serve, or chill. The dish can be served warm but if you chill it and serve cold the flavors meld nicely and produce a respectable picnic potato salad.
And now for the grill: wieners, beer sausage and weisswurst (white sausage).
To top off the meal I opened a Hip Chick's Do Wine 2003 Riesling, dry, citrus with nice acid (not overly sweet).
Schmeckt!
Mr. Kaos
edited with love for readability by CamiKaos xoxo
5 comments:
Yum. That potato salad looks killer
I wish we had taste-o-blog for that potato salad. I'm about to help myself to a third helping... Man oh man it's my new favorite food.
Excellent, Mr. K.
My comliments on the choice of Finnish cheese for the ladies. My father is German, as well, and a potato salad specialist. I'll have to try this one out on him!
Well, now - I could certainly eat some cheese and potato salad, but I'll have to pass on the snausage type stuff. But my dad could eat with you guys and be in heaven.
I've been making a variation of your potato salad for years - I might try your version! Yum. :)
Oh yeah - and IT'S ABOUT TIME!
There is one major flaw with the potato salad. I ate it all. It's gone and I want more.
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