I remember Gramma, who lived with us, spending lots of time in the kitchen. Her family called her Minnie.  Her full name was Wilhelmina Christina Stroppel Wasshausen but I called her Gramma. One of her specialties, which I shall always remember, was German Potato Salad. One must realize that there are as many ways to make German Potato Salad as there are Germans but to this day Gramma's was the best ever!

Every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and some Sundays in between my mother would get ready for family visitors. My Aunt Lillian came down on the Pennsylvania Railroad from Chicago. Sometimes my Aunt Leona and Uncle George would visit from Oak Park, Illinois. My mother would be busy stuffing the turkey or preparing the prime rib of beef or baking pies.  Pies had to be baked the same day as they were to be eaten - none of this day old stuff. Gram would be sitting by the round oak kitchen table making potato salad. She sat there in her gingham dress, bib apron and black oxford shoes with her long hair coiled into a bun. (I used to watch in fascination as she twirled and twisted her hair into a pretty spiral.)

A big aluminum pot containing boiled potatoes would be cradled in her lap.  She would spear a potato on a fork and skin off the peeling.  Now, the potatoes had to be red potatoes of small to medium size because she wanted uniform slices and red ones have a better consistency. She would not wait for the potatoes to cool down because they needed to be warm for the oil to disperse better over the slices. As we sat there she would tell me how to make this salad and also some stories about her life growing up in New York with her brothers. Her mother died when she was a young girl.

After peeling and slicing the potatoes into a large bowl she would dice onions and celery and add them to the thinly sliced potatoes - no chunks! She diced with a paring knife against her right thumb - no chopping board for her. She would add a bit of oil (Crisco in those days), a bit of apple cider vinegar, a dash of salt and pepper - then taste. Another bit of oil and vinegar.   I believe she used about equal parts and perhaps more salt. She would stir it gently and taste again. I used to sit and watch just so I could be the taster. Oh, how I enjoyed tasting it and so did my two sisters, so we had to take turns. This adding and tasting went on for sometimes 10 minutes or more and then the big bowl would get covered with a clean, white dish towel.  The towels were made of half a flour sack back 70 years ago.  It was then left for the flavors to blend. The bowl was always set in a warm place, never refrigerated, for a couple of hours or so.  Later it would need tasting again. Sometimes a pinch more of salt or a drop or two of vinegar and the finished product was ready to serve!!

It didn't matter that we had delicious turkey stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes with gravy.  At our dinner table we all looked forward to Gram's Potato Salad.  It was delicious beyond words and the hit of every meal.

After I married and was raising my children, I also made German Potato Salad because to to me no special meal or picnic can possibly be complete without it. Mine was never as good as Gramma's.  For some reason the flavors never seemed quite as wonderful as I remember hers to be. But, my husband and children still enjoy German Potato Salad on special occasions and I enjoy making it for them because each time I do, I remember Gramma.

Gramma Wasshausen’s German Potato Salad Recipe

Small firm potatoes, red (not russets) - about one per person
Cook and peel while still warm.
Add about equal amounts of oil and vinegar. (Start with about 2 Tbsp).
Salt & pepper to taste.
A pinch of sugar or sweetener to taste.
Add the oil and vinegar and seasonings a bit at a time and taste in between.
Add diced celery (about 1/4 to 1/2 stalk per potato)
Add diced onion (about 1 small to medium for each 6 potatoes)
Let marinate at least 2 hours and then taste and add vinegar or salt or whatever is needed for taste. (The potatoes need to be coated with liquid but not soupy.)
Serve at room temperature.

(the quantities are mine as I experimented to get the salad to taste right.)