Hot German Potato Salad

As much as I love Tip Top Meats, I wasn't satsified by their German potato salad. Determined to make a batch of my own GPS, I searched through my cookbook collection for the perfect recipe.

Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book from 1956 provided my recipe. It was hot, rich, and full of fat. Therefore, fully authentic in the eyes of this German girl.

I was very satisfied with the turnout and would recommend this recipe to anyone wanting to make a true hot German potato salad. However, I would like to live to a ripe old age so I probably won't make this again. Why? you ask. Read on.....

WARNING: The following may cause heart attack, clogged arteries, high blood pressure, and other health problems. Make at your own risk.

Hot German Potato Salad
from Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book c.1956
p.389

Boil 6 med. potatoes (or a bag of mini potatoes) in their jackets. Peel and slice thinly.

Fry slowly in skillet, then drain on paper...
6 slices bacon

Saute in bacon fat until golden brown...
3/4 cup chopped onion

Blend in...
2 T. glour
1 to 2 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. celery seeds
dash of pepper (needs more than a dash in my opinion)

Cook over low heat, stirring until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in...
3/4 c. water
1/3 c. vinegar

Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Stir in carefully the potatoes and the crumbled bits of bacon. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand until ready to serve.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

A Few of My Favorite Things (a.k.a my second trip to Tip Top)

True to my word, I have already taken advantage of Tip Top Meats being a short drive from my new residence.

My mom was visiting for a long weekend and I had to bring her to my new find. I knew she would be impressed. I grew up having a German deli near our town that had the best wursts. We also had a local German bakery that was delicious. Since we've moved out west I haven't found an acceptable German deli...until now.

While Tip Top Meats is missing a few of my favorite wursts, they have enough products to compensate. I am truly in love.

On the fourth day my mom was in town we grilled up the mini-bratwursts that I had recently bought from Tip Top along with some great veggies and mini-rolls from the bakery in Carlsbad Village. The meal was so delicious that I knew I had to bring my mom to Tip Top during this visit and not a moment later.

I showed her around the store and pointed out the giant marzipan bar (marzipan is a weakness of mine), the variety of mustards, meats, and beer. Then I brought her back to the restaurant area to show her how cheap the meals really are and discussed which meats we would purchase that day.

I know my mom loves Gelbwurst so I ordered a 1/4 pound of that. Of course, I ended up getting a quarter pound of Decora and Old Forest Salami as well since the man before me was ordering both and I requested a taste while the woman behind the counter was slicing the meat. She was very generous with handing out tastes of the meat (which is a great marketing tactic since I tend to buy more things that way). I also ordered a pound of the German potato salad (which I have decided is good but not great and I probably will just try to make a better version myself).

If you're unfamiliar with most of their deli meats try these three cold cuts. The salami isn't too fatty tasting and is fairly mild. Their gelbwurst is actually peppery (usually it's more bland) and the decora is an herb bologna (yes, I know bologna sounds gross but this bologna isn't anything like that kind that has a first name) with a great flavor. These cold cuts taste great on their marble rye bread.

Since there was an extra person in our house that week I decided to get the apple strudel I had been eyeing during my last visit. It's a huge slab of strudel (comes in many flavors) that seems to be made fresh at Tip Top.

This strudel is worth a trip to Tip Top just for the strudel. The apples are tart and the strudel is just sweet enough to be satisfying without making you sick. It tastes great heated up and is a delicious breakfast item to serve to guests.


Before we left Tip Top I was showing my mom the jam section when I shrieked. They had jam with my mom's (and one of my) last name on it! It was too exciting. I had remembered that my grandpa found the jam once on Long Island but we hadn't seen it since. What do you know? A meat store in Carlsbad, CA (of all places) had that jam! It came in one flavor: red fruit.
So I will be trying the jam soon and cleaning that jar with all my might so that I can show everyone the jam with my last name on it! I hope I'm related to the folks who make the jam! It's not a common last name in the US but I suppose it might be common in Germany.

Anyway, in case it wasn't obvious during the first post, I love this store and if you haven't been you must go there ASAP. If you try anything new let me know what it is and if you recommend it.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Tip Top Meats

After a trip to the Carlsbad Farmer's Market I decided to go to Tip Top Meats only a few exits away off the 5. I had heard they serve meals and my husband was starved so we decided to eat at their restaurant before shopping for meat.

I knew the minute we entered the store that I had found what I had been looking for. Every city I live in I look for the local German deli. This is it. They have a huge selection of beer, wine, German and Eastern European goods, condiments galore, and every meat you can think of including all of my favorite sausages (wursts, etc.). In the back of the store you can find their restaurant.

Their restaurant has a big menu with breakfasts, lunch, and I believe dinner. Their prices are great. An all-you-can-eat meat breakfast includes potatoes, eggs, and your choice of meats for less than $6. They have great blue-plate specials and wide range of entrees and sandwiches. I ordered the German Weiner which comes with your choice of bread, a pickle, and a side for less than $4.

I substituted German potato salad for fries. Their German potato salad was definitely authentic (with bacon and scallions) but it was served hot and I prefer it cold or room temperature. The German Weiner plate comes with 2 weiners (and if you know German "hot dogs" you know that they are very very long). I cut one in half to fit the roll and saved the other one for home. My sandwich was great but I was disappointed that they only had nasty mustard available even though they sell a TON of German (and other kinds of) mustard. A true German sausage needs good mustard.

My husband believes that a good sausage needs sauerkraut and while I should agree with him due to my German heritage, I don't care for sauerkraut. He ordered a side of kraut to go with his sandwich.

He said it tasted fresh and it definitely made his sandwich taste better. His corned beef sandwich was very big and only around 6 bucks. The meat was exceptionally tasty.

After lunch we wandered through the store some more and gawked at their huge selection of mustards, olives, desserts, candies, and more. I was in heaven. I feel "in my element" a lot more now that I found a German deli. Now I have a place where I can get my wursts. Our purchases today included landjager, Nuerenberger bratwurst, German weiners, and Braunschweiger (for my husband). I'll definitely post more about these when we cook them. For now I'm freezing them for future dinners.

I got a kick out of some of their products and their candies. They actually had several flavors of Mentos which I've NEVER seen before. I'll be honest, their prices are marked up quite a bit. For instance, their Nutella was over $4 even though you can get it at Trader Joe's for closer to $2. Most of their products are like this. However, I thought their meats were well priced as well as their bakery goods (bread, strudel, etc.).

So expect a lot more German foods (or at least meat) in my posts over the next year. I will definitely take advantage of having Tip Top Meats nearby while I'm in San Diego.

Tip Top Meats: 6118 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad, 92011 - (760) 438-2620

(Down the street from the Carlsbad Outlet Mall)