I combined a lot of the above ideas into a killer potato salad for a party yesterday. Sure, it's a little less than authentic, but it was a huge hit. Here's roughly how it went together:
Measurements are approximate - sometimes I go a little Swedish chef in the kitchen.
8 lbs of russet potatoes
1 lb thick cut bacon
1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
1-1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
2-3 Tbsp reserved bacon drippings
2 Tbsp coarse ground mustard
2 Tbsp VERY finely diced pickles
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
Fresh ground pepper
I boiled the potatoes with the skin on until just soft, then peeled them under cold running water. A few of the smaller ones got overcooked and were much more difficult to handle.
While the potatoes boiled, I fried up the bacon - a thick cut, lightly smoked store brand that I really like. When it was crisp, I drained the bacon on some paper towels and chopped it.
I sauteed the onion in a little bit of bacon drippings until it was soft and translucent.
I diced a few sweet gherkins, a few dill chips, and some deli peperoncini. The pickle mixture was diced so finely that people had to ask, "what's giving it that extra kick?"
Lastly, the vinegar, sugar, bacon drippings, mustard, and mustard seed went into a small pot over medium high heat. It took about 10 minutes of boiling for the dressing to reduce to a thin syrup.
Because I prepared everything very early, I refrigerated the potatoes by themselves, only seasoned with a little pepper. I combined the dressing, bacon, pickles, and onions in a separate bowl and refrigerated it, also. When it was time to serve, I microwaved the potatoes, heated the dressing, and combined everything at the last minute.