German Potato Salad

This recipe is excellent for a Fourth of July picnic, and is very appetizing when served surrounded by fresh tomato wedges, hard-boiled eggs, dill pickles, radishes, and parsley.

Ingredients:
6 large potatoes, unpeeled
1 onion, medium
1 egg
½-lb. bacon
¼-cup white vinegar
¼-cup water
½-teaspoon salt
¼-teaspoon pepper
¼-teaspoon sugar

Directions:
Boil the potatoes, unpeeled, in a large pot until just barely fork tender, then remove them from pot and set aside to cool (cutting the potatoes in half will speed up the cooling process). Meanwhile, cut the bacon slices into ¼-inch pieces, and brown in a skillet.

While the bacon is still cooking, combine the vinegar, water, salt, pepper, and sugar in a saucepan and bring it just to a boil. Reduce the heat, but keep the sauce warm. Once the bacon is browned, remove it from the pan and set it aside, but keep the drippings.

By now, the potatoes should also be cool enough to handle. Remove the skin and cut them into thin quarters (about 1/8 to ¼-inch thick).

In a large bowl, drizzle a spoonful of bacon drippings - enough coat the bottom of the bowl. Next, make a nice layer of the sliced potato quarters, followed by a very thinly sliced layer of onion slivers, used sparingly. Drizzle spoonfuls of bacon drippings over this layer, and then stir the warm vinegar mixture. Drizzle spoonfuls of the vinegar mixture over the potatoes and onions. Repeat this process - layer of potatoes, slivers of onions, drizzle of bacon drippings, drizzle of vinegar mixture - until the potatoes and onions are all used.

Next add the bacon bits and stir slowly until well-mixed. Lastly, add a beaten raw egg to the bowl and, again, stir the mixture slowly and carefully- almost folding it - until well-mixed.

Of course, adding the raw egg is optional, considering food fears these days. However, I've been eating this dish for years, and I'm still alive and well.