The Hausmeisterin (like a Germanic concierge) who lived in my apartment complex, all of six apartments, took me and DH under her and her hubby's care while we were stationed in Frankfurt our first overseas tour. She was the best cook I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, although some of those Southern Virginia kinfolk of mine came close at our family reunion...anyway, Wilma's potato salad recipe takes forever to make, and she had no measurements for me to write down, AND my approximation of her salad falls FAR short. Nevertheless, here's what I do:
Take 5 pounds of potatoes, what she called new potatoes (they were really small and pale yellow so I find the closest I can at the store), boil them in their jackets and peel before they cool. Slice as thinly as possible. Dice, as minutely as possible, onions, German pickles (American kosher just isn't the same taste), and leberkase. The deli might stock it as German bologna. Once you have assembled the mix, add in, to taste, vegetable oil, mayonnaise and white vinegar, salt and pepper. She always added fresh peas to the potato salad, but I usually don't bother.
Ah, memories. I really miss Europe. Well, not most of their politics, but the countries and scenery. Plus, there's plenty of conservatives there, as there are in places like California, which I am totally skipping on my vacation starting tomorrow. We're headed to Vegas and Idaho and making sure our route takes us no where near that loser state.
