Sure, we’re technically late to the Oktoberfest game, but people have moved the date up for better weather in recent history. Really, that party should be rocking solid right about now, and with the NFL visiting Germany in the coming weeks, it got us thinking…
That, and it’s Week Two of the Byes, which really means more side pieces for your Tailgate Spread.
And what’s more side than potato salad, only we’re not going with that traditional southern style that your mama made. Nope. We’re going full blown German.
But you know we can’t just leave you the side piece by itself, so we’re pairing it up with a little hot link on a bun. While staying German.
Which means we’re also going to sidestep our go-to favorite andouille sausage for another Grilled-Out Tailgate Kingdom staple, the Beer Soaked Brat.
There’s a few games that could qualify as the Brats & Potato Salad game, but this week, we’re giving it to the Browns at Ravens…two teams that have a lot of potential to go forward, but keep kicking themselves in the rear. A win this week should kick said winner into high gear and put some stone cold mustard on that brat. But we’ll see.
Week 7 Menu, activate now!
What We Need for German Potato Salad:
2 pounds of red potatoes
2 white onions
Garlic
Apple Cider Vinegar
Bacon (and its grease)
Sugar
Worcestershire
Dijon Mustard
What We Need for the Beer Soaked Brats:
Brats
Beer of your choice
Buns
Dijon Mustard
Sauerkraut
What We’re Doing with It:
We’ll be running these two items simultaneously, so don’t get confused as we’ll also be using the same ingredients in both dishes.
Start with cold water in a pot big enough to boil your red potatoes in. Add your potatoes and then raise your heat up to high to get it going to a good boil.
While that’s getting rolling, grab your pack of bacon and straight chop it into about inch to inch and a half slices. Then get a pan up to high heat and begin separating your sliced bacon from itself before adding it to the pan. Now, lower the heat as to not risk burning anything, and let it get to that good bacon crispness. Then pull your bacon pieces out and set them aside on some paper towel to soak up the excess grease.
Speaking of grease, don’t dump it from your pan, but instead leave a little in it for sweating your onions and garlic later.
So let’s go. We’re doing white onions two ways. We’re going to cut one into a small chunk for your potato salad. Then you can go ahead and cut the other Lyonnaise style for your pan. Next go to your garlic, and we’re going to do that two ways as well. Mince a good handful and set it aside for your potato salad, but then grab a few other bulbs and cut them into small chunks for your pan.
About this point, your potatoes should be about ready to come off the heat. You’ll know because they’ll just slide off your knife or fork pretty easily. If they’re catching, you want to let them go for a little while longer before you strain them and then set them to the side to cool a little bit.
Now take your boiling pot, give it a quick rinse, and then put it back on the fire and add your beer of choice. Different styles can impart different flavors, but not enough that you want to waste money. So, for the Kings, PBR works just fine.
While you’re waiting for the beer to boil, sweat out your Lyonnaise onions and your chunk garlic, adding salt & pepper to taste. Be sure to stir it around, letting your onions to get a little caramelization going before adding them to your boiling beer pot. Then take the heat down to a simmer and add your brats to the mix.
This would be a good time to start your grill if you’re rocking charcoal and need to get it to the right heat. If you’re using propane and propane accessories, I guess you can wait until after the rest of the potato salad preparation.
So, back to the potato salad. Your red potatoes should have cooled off enough that you can quarter them. Then take out your parsley, and we’re going to cut that into more of like a chunk chop.
Now we can put together the base of our German Potato Salad. Add in your apple cider vinegar into a bowl with a little sugar and a little Worcestershire sauce and about two spoonfuls of Dijon mustard. Then mix it all together and set it aside for a second.
At this point, your brats should be about done boiling, so go ahead and pull them from your pot. Then grab your strainer and strain out the uglies (onions and garlic) from what was left in the pot and set them aside.
Rinse out your pot and get it back on the stove. Add in some of that leftover bacon grease, and let’s now sweat down the chunk onion and your minced garlic, stirring occasionally to keep them from sticking to the bottom. When you’ve gotten the onions close to translucent, turn off the heat, and add in your potato salad base to it, stirring it all together slowly to meld the flavors together.
While you’re letting your flavors get loose, you can go out to the grill and put your brats on the heat. We want to slow cook these now, moving them around to get a good char without losing too much of that juicy flavor we’ve been working on. You may also want to to toast your buns like we do, but maybe not. To each his own.
Now that the brats are grilling, it’s time to assemble your potato salad. This is pretty simplistic. Add your quartered potatoes to a large mixing bowl, and then begin adding in your base from the pot. You don’t want it soupy, so if you add to much, pour some back out. When you’ve got the right ratio, add in your bacon and your parsley, and stir it all around. Then cover it with foil to keep in the heat until you’re ready to serve it.
Back out to the grill and your brats should be about done. Pull them off, and then it’s back inside for easy assembly.
Brat, in a bun, with some Dijon mustard on top, then top it with the uglies and a little sauerkraut. Then put some of that German Potato Salad on the side, and you’ve got yourself a meal fit for a King’s Tailgate!
