Carlyn Berghoff grew up in two kitchens -- her mother's and that of The Berghoff Restaurant, a Chicago institution that closed last year after 107 years. Only one was a friendly confines:

"Berghoff's was more like a production house than a kitchen. Everything was huge. When I was 6, I remember standing by one of the stock pots. You could cook me in it!" she said in a phone interview.

Since her mother, Jan, was hostess of the family-run restaurant, she prepared early dinners for Carlyn and her brothers and sister. The menu included lots of roasts, lasagna, meatloaf and tuna casserole -- not sauerbraten, wiener schnitzel and other German dishes found at The Berghoff and, this time of year, at Octoberfest.

Jan Berghoff had learned to cook from her North Side German mother-in-law, but she was from Bohemian stock on Chicago's South Side.

"She cooked her way into the family," her daughter said.

Now mother and daughter have gathered favorite recipes from The Berghoff and Carlyn's catering business in "The Berghoff Family Cookbook" (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $29.95).

The book, written with Nancy Ross Ryan, includes a history that begins in 1898, when German brewer Herman J. Berghoff opened the Berghoff Cafe, serving free sandwiches with his light and dark Dortmunder beer. The family's food tradition continues today into the fourth generation at two locations: A Berghoff Cafe at O'Hare International Airport; and, in the old restaurant space at 17 W. Adams St., 17/west at the Berghoff and Artistic Events, Carlyn Berghoff's cafe and catering business.

The bulk of the book is recipes, of course. Marked in red are Berghoff classics, downsized for home use, including mushroom strudel, creamed spinach and schlacht platte (butcher's plate). Yellow delineates the dishes from Carlyn Berghoff's catering business, though it's unlikely anyone would confuse smoked salmon wrap with capers and chicken Valenciano with the gut-busting German favorites.

For an annual Octoberfest party, I decided to make a gut-buster from my childhood -- German potato salad. Unlike the cold version preferred at picnics, this side dish fills you -- and the room -- with fumes of vinegar, bacon and onions. My mother made it at home occasionally, but I really enjoyed it at my cousins' restaurant, Carl Meyer's Hof in Buffalo, N.Y., which closed in the 1980s after nearly 50 years downtown.

Since I'm not much of a cook and since my parents were coming for a visit anyway, I asked my mom to help me make Berghoff's potato salad. Like Jan and Carlyn Berghoff, my mother and I complemented each other in the kitchen, though she had to adjust to cooking with a son rather than one of her six daughters.

Fraus Berghoff, ages 70 and 46, respectively, say the secret to potato salad is advance preparation -- letting the dressing stand for at least two hours and leaving the salad in the fridge overnight, which "allows the flavors to mellow." (You'd be mellow, too, after spending the night with cider vinegar, scallions and sweet onion.)

I wept alone the night before, mincing half an onion by hand. (Note to self: Find that little food processor.) I didn't have any white pepper so I used a mix of black, red and white.

My mother has made -- and eaten -- her share of German dishes. Her grandparents, Carl and Mary Meyer, emigrated from Alsace-Lorraine, a political football that has bounced between Germany and France and whose food blends both cultures.

Mom reminded me a couple times that the crumbled bacon would stay crispier if I tossed it with the potatoes instead of submerging it in the dressing. Of course, I dumped it in the dressing (you need to tell a son three times for it to sink in). She was surprised to find vegetable oil -- no bacon grease -- in Berghoff's potato salad, so we added some of the latter.

Carlyn Berghoff said they sometimes make their salad without bacon, which is both healthier and appealing to non-meat-eaters. The family has always tried to offer alternatives to traditional German food, which tends to be uber-smelly, filling (i.e. fattening) and artery-clogging. When's the last time you heard of a German restaurant opening in health-conscious America?

"We always wanted to be known as an American restaurant or a contemporary European restaurant, not a German restaurant," Carlyn Berghoff said, noting that veal Marsala was one of the top five main-dish recipes requested by Berghoff patrons.

However, the other four favorites -- sauerbraten and three schnitzels: wiener, chicken and rahm (pork) -- illustrate the family restaurant's enduring German roots. And the No. 1 most requested recipe, creamed spinach, remains synonymous with Berghoff's in Chicago lore.

Years ago, the Chicago Tribune cooked up a recipe based on clues from Herman Berghoff, Jan's husband and Carlyn's father. It was close, Carlyn Berghoff said, but no big fat cigar (like my old Meyer great-uncles smoked).

"It was missing a few things -- like celery salt and Tabasco sauce," she said. "If you make it at home, you have to use fresh nutmeg."

Reflecting Carlyn Berghoff's catering background, the book contains tips and suggested recipes for parties, including Octoberfest. As in Munich, its German birthplace, the menu includes bratwurst in beer, barbecued chicken, sauerkraut, big soft pretzels and apple strudel.

For 30 to 40 men at my Octoberfest, I served bratwurst, knackwurst and weisswurst from Usinger's in Milwaukee (www.usinger.com), sauerkraut and sauerbraten well-prepared by two of the guys, pretzels from the Pretzel Factory on the South Side and Penn Pilsner from the North Side (they were out of Oktoberfest bier).

And the potato salad? It was so good that my parents and I ate most of it for lunch the day we made it, alongside bratwurst and knackwurst from John McGinnis in Castle Shannon. I didn't get a chance to make another batch of potato salad for Octoberfest. (Note to self: Invite Mom to visit next September.)

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BRATWURST, KNACKWURST AND SMOKED THURINGER

You could substitute other brands of beer. Accompany the sausages with Dusseldorf mustard and serve with German potato salad and sauerkraut.

• 8 (3-ounce) veal bratwurst
• 8 (3-ounce) knackwurst
• 8 (3-ounce) smoked Thuringer
• 12-ounce bottle Berghoff Red beer
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 12-ounce bottle Berghoff Lager beer

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; bake bratwurst or grill until lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Use tongs rather than a fork for turning, as piercing the skin will release juices and cause the bratwurst to dry out.

In a large stock pot, heat to a boil the red beer and 3 cups of chicken stock. Add Thuringer to the pot and decrease the heat to a simmer. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

In a large stock pot, heat to a boil the lager beer with the remaining 3 cups of chicken stock. Add the cooked knackwurst to the pot and decrease the heat to a simmer. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Makes 24 servings.

-- "The Berghoff Family Cookbook" by Carlyn and Jan Berghoff with Nancy Ross Ryan

BERGHOFF'S GERMAN POTATO SALAD

PG TESTED

Prepare this salad 4 to 6 hours, or one day, ahead of serving for its flavors to blend optimally.

For the dressing

• 1 1/4 cups cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup minced sweet onion
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper

In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk to mix well. Cover and let stand at least 2 hours before using. Makes 1 2/3 cups.

For the salad

• 8 large white potatoes, peeled, boiled and sliced 1/8-inch thick (about 4 pounds)
• 1 cup cooked, chopped applewood-smoked bacon (3 ounces)
• 1 cup chopped scallions

Gently toss the hot, sliced potatoes with the bacon and chopped scallions. Stir in the dressing and toss gently to coat evenly. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 4 to 6 hours, or overnight. The salad can be reheated in the microwave if you wish to serve it warm.

To serve, place salad in a bowl.

Makes 8 cups and serves 8.

-- "The Berghoff Family Cookbook" by Carlyn and Jan Berghoff with Nancy Ross Ryan

CREAMED SPINACH

• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chicken base, or 1 cube chicken bouillon
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic (see note)
• 1/8 teaspoon celery salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (2 1/2 cups)
• Salt and ground white pepper, if desired
• Ground nutmeg, for garnish
• Crisp, cooked, crumbled bacon, for garnish

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the half-and-half, milk, chicken base, Tabasco and seasonings to a simmer. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

In another medium-sized saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk well to combine. Cook this mixture for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often. Slowly whisk the heated milk mixture into the butter mixture, a little at a time, whisking constantly until smooth. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until it thickens. The sauce will be very thick.

Stir in the spinach and simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Serve while hot.

To serve, place the hot creamed spinach in a bowl, sprinkled with an extra touch of ground nutmeg on top. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon of crisp, cooked, crumbled bacon, if desired.

Makes 5 cups and serves 8.

Note: Granulated garlic is dried granular garlic, not the same as dried minced, dried chopped or garlic powder. It has the best flavor of all the dried garlic products, in our opinion. Some supermarkets carry it in the gourmet spice section, and it's available from spice shops.

-- "The Berghoff Family Cookbook" by Carlyn and Jan Berghoff with Nancy Ross Ryan