Schinken Käse Eier Salat Recipe- German Ham Cheese Egg Salad

German meat and cheese salads sometimes confuse people. How can meat and cheese be a SALAD? It just is. (Think Chicken Salad, but without the chicken and celery.) There with so many different versions, you can pick a favorite or sample them all. I got this recipe for Schinken Käse Eier Salat (Ham Cheese Egg salad) comes from a friend of my cousin who served it at an Easter Brunch. It’s a variation on a Wurst Salat, which is normally made with a sliced Cervelat sausage. Don’t confuse it with Fleischsalat (Meat Salad), which is made with a mayo base instead of oil and vinegar (you’ll find an easy recipe for Fleish Salat in my cookbook – Easy German Cookbook). Once you’ve tried this savory combination of cheese, cooked ham, herbs, and boiled eggs in a tangy vinaigrette, you will know why they are such a popular dish in Germany.

While the dish makes an excellent addition to Easter Brunch, it’s absolutely PERFECT for hot evenings when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen. The only cooking required is boiling a few eggs. Serve on a bed of lettuce, or with slices of bread. (My guy skiped both and ate it straight out of the bowl once I finished photographing…) The recipe also takes care of Easter leftovers, using up all those pretty hard-boiled eggs. And it’s perfect to pack along on a picnic. Seriously, Schinken, Käse, Ei Salat works for brunch, picnics, as a party appetizer, dinner on hot summer evenings, a quick meal on “I don’t feel like cooking” days, (and I believe this falls into the Keto lifestyle too)….

You are going to want to keep this versatile recipe in your back pocket.

Schinken, Käse, Eier Salat- German Ham, Cheese, and Egg Salad

Because the German Recipe uses Koch Schinken, I just use a simple Black Forest ham from the Deli. For the cheese, I prefer a Gouda, because it’s not that assertive… but if you want more punch, go ahead and use Emmentaler or Swiss cheese. You can slice the cheese from the Gouda wedge… or buy pre-sliced cheese. You can even cut the cheese into little chunks. Up to you. (Along those lines, you can cut leftover ham into little chunks too…)

Fresh herbs… especially Dill and Chives add such a wonderful fresh flavor, do what you can to use fresh. (My mother always had chives growing in a pot outside the kitchen door… and I kept the habit since they add nice flavor to everything from salads to scrambled eggs). Yes, dried herbs will obviously work in a pinch. Maybe let the dressing sit for a bit to soften them up before tossing the salad.

And here is where you can get creative…. Vegetables.

Usually I slice in radishes, because I like the bitter crunch. This week my store sold teeny tiny tomatoes on sale… super cute! How could I pass that up? But quartered cherry tomatoes work just fine (it will add more moisture… maybe let them drip in a strainer before adding to the salad if not eating right away). You can also add diced cucumbers and/or diced red or yellow bell pepper. You can even toss in canned or frozen corn, maybe even green onion. Go once through the vegetable garden if you like.

Schinken Käse Eier Salat keeps well in the refrigerator overnight.

Schinken, Käse, Eier Salat- German Ham, Cheese, and Egg Salad

This recipe makes enough for 4 people as a side dish or appetizer. If you serve it as a "meal", it maybe only is enough for 2 (depending on appetites and how many veggies or eggs that you add). It's easy enough to double or triple the recipe as needed. Be creative- I used radishes and tiny tomatoes, but you can add pickles, fresh peas, cucumbers, or even corn kernels

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Cuisine German

Ingredients

  

• 3- 4 Hard Cooked Eggs
• 8 oz. Black Forest Ham
• 6- 8 oz. Gouda Cheese

Dressing:

• 3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 3 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
• 1 Teaspoon German or Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tablespoon chopped Chives
• 1 Tablespoon chopped Dill
• 1 Teaspoon chopped Parsley
• 1 Teaspoon Salt 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper (white is prettier, black is fine)

Vegetables:

• 3- 4 Thinly sliced Radishes
• 1/2 cup Cherry Tomatoes
• optional-
• Diced Cucumber
• Diced Bell Pepper
• Chopped Pickle

Instructions

 

• Hard Boil the eggs (see instructions in the notes) When cool enough to handle, peel. Set aside.
• Have a mixing bowl ready.
• Slice the ham- (I made 3/4 inch wide slices)... place in the bowl
• Slice the cheese- I made thin slices from the wedge... place in the bowl
• In a small mixing bowl, put in the dressing ingredients. Whisk until fully combined.
• Pour the most of the dressing over the ham and cheese... toss to coat. I use my hands for this so that the cheese doesn't break into pieces, but you can use a spoon.
• Add the sliced radishes and cherry tomatoes. (add any other vegetables you'd like to include) Toss again.
• Quarter the hard boiled eggs.
• Put the salad on a serving plate or shallow bowl. Place the eggs around the edge of the salad, and drizzle the rest of the dressing over them.
• Serve.

Notes

To hard boil eggs- Set a pan of water on the stove over high heat. Poke the bottom (fat part) of the Egg with a needle or Ei Stoecher. When the water is lukewarm, place the egg/eggs in the water. When the water begins to boil, turn down the heat and set the timer for 8 minutes. When the timer rings, take the pot off the stove, drain a bit, and run cold water into the pan over the egg to stop the cooking. Let cool, peel

Find more classic German Recipes in my Easy German Cookbook

Easy German Cookbook: 80 Classic Recipes Made Simple

Simple Step by Step

Slice the Ham

Slice the Cheese

Ham and Cheese go into the Mixing Bowl

Fresh herbs are Best

Mix dressing and toss with Ham and Cheese

Add your Vegetables and toss again

Put on serving plate or bowl… surround by quartered hard boiled eggs.
Drizzle more dressing on the eggs. (Either the reserved dressing, or the dressing that collected at the bottom of the mixing bowl)

Serve on a bed of lettuce if you like…