German Potato Salad

We took Danny to the wild onion gathering. Late April, a second gathering at the Claremore site that the nutrition program organized for families who had missed the main event. Twelve families, smaller, less formal. I had called ahead and talked to the site coordinator and arranged parking closer to the meadow edge than normal, and I had built a platform for Danny's portable oxygen tank that fits in the back of the truck and can be wheeled to a folding chair. Four wheels, welded by me, sized exactly for the tank, because if you need something to work in a specific way and you are a welder, you do not buy it, you make it.

Terry did not say no. I presented the plan with such specific and manageable detail — how we would get him in and out of the truck, where the chair would go, what the terrain was like, how far he would need to walk — that no became harder than yes, which was the plan. She came with us and she carried one side of the chair while I carried the other and Danny walked slowly between us with the oxygen tank rolling behind him on the cart I made.

He sat at the edge of the meadow in the folding chair and watched the gathering. Kai brought him the onions he pulled, each one, as he pulled it, showing Danny. Luna brought him her first handful and said "dee-ona" which is her approximation of a Cherokee word she had been trying to learn. Danny held the onions in his hand and looked at them. He was quiet for a long time.

Then he said, in Cherokee, a word I did not know. He said it to Kai, and Kai did not know it either, but he understood from how Danny said it that it was something important, something to hold. We looked it up later with Lily's help. It was a Cherokee word for the onion itself — not the English name, the old name, the name the plant had before there was an English name for it. Danny knew the word. He gave it to Kai. Kai has it now.

When we got home that evening, Danny’s hands still smelled like the onions, and Kai kept saying the word Danny had given him, quietly, to himself, the way you do when you’re trying to make sure something stays. I wanted to cook something that put those onions at the center of the table — not as a garnish, not as background, but as the thing the dish is built around. German Potato Salad felt right: warm, sharp, a little smoky, and honest about what’s in it. It’s the kind of dish where the onion isn’t hiding, and after that afternoon, that mattered to me.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 lbs small waxy potatoes (red or Yukon Gold), unpeeled
6 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup wild onions or green onions, sliced thin (whites and greens separated)
1 small yellow onion, diced fine
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Instructions

Cook the potatoes. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook 18—22 minutes, until just tender when pierced with a knife. Drain and let cool slightly, then slice into 1/4-inch rounds while still warm.
Render the bacon. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon pieces until crisp and fat is rendered, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving drippings in the pan.
Soften the aromatics. Add the diced yellow onion and the white parts of the wild onions to the bacon drippings. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes.
Build the warm dressing. Whisk in the apple cider vinegar, chicken broth, mustard, sugar, celery seed, and smoked paprika. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook 2—3 minutes until slightly reduced. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
Combine. Add the sliced warm potatoes directly to the skillet. Gently fold everything together so the potatoes absorb the dressing without breaking apart. Add the reserved bacon and toss once more.
Finish and serve. Transfer to a serving dish and top with the green tops of the wild onions and the fresh parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

German Potato Salad — Made with the Onions Danny Gave Us