When I was a kid . . . a thousand years ago it seems . . . my mother used to make an amazing dish that I can still remember. She slowly cooked a pork roast with sauerkraut, apples, and potatoes. I know that it was an odd thing for kids to love but we did!
A few weeks ago, during my 'I've eaten my weight in Italian food, I need a break' phase, I saw a post on my friend katie's blog that reminded me of mom's recipe. I had a ton of sausages in the freezer that I wanted to use up and sauerkraut in the pantry so it was a perfect fit. I modified Katie's recipe a bit by adding in the potatoes and apples I remembered from mom's dish.
The result was amazing - this is comfort food at it's finest. Katie's version is far more sophisticated than mom's was - no one had heard of juniper berries back in the 70s, one certainly wasn't cooking with wine, and garlic? Mom would rarely use garlic! We were WASPs and anything that deviated from the traditional meat, potato, and boiled veg was frowned upon. I think her wonderful roast was stretching it as far as my dad was concerned.
Yes, this version is more nuanced than mom's was and uses ingredients that weren't common in the 70s but the core is there - delicate (yes, delicate) sauerkraut, rich pork, and a delicious sauce pulled me back to those carefree days of childhood. Now if only my bills could have been pulled away as well. :-)
Sauerkraut With Sausages
16oz (500gr) sauerkraut
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 carrot
1 rib celery
1 tbs olive oil
4 sausages
4 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
1/2 - 1 cup white wine
1/4 cup beef stock
2 bay leaves
2 whole cloves
5 juniper berries
Rinse the sauerkraut and drain
well. Chop the onion, celery, carrot and mince the garlic. In large, deep skillet
sauté the vegetables until onions are tender 8 minutes. Move to the
side and add the sausages. Brown on both sides. Remove the sausages
and add the sauerkraut, 1/2 cup wine, 1/4 cup stock, the herbs and
spices. Stir to mix well. Place the sausages on top, cover and simmer
for 30 - 60 minutes, the longer the better. Depending on the kraut you
may have to add the remaining wine; raw
sauerkraut will absorb more liquid than cooked.
It has been many years since I had sauerkraut. It was always a favourite in a reuben and with a pork roast.
Posted by: bellini | February 03, 2013 at 06:59 PM
One of our favorite comfort food dinners is pork spareribs in sauerkraut with potatoes, very similar to your Mom's! The addition of apple sounds dee-lightful, yum!
Posted by: Susie L | February 04, 2013 at 02:18 PM
Oh that looks delicious...pork and sauerkraut and apples just go together so well. I like the idea of this recipe (and make something similar) but what I would really like is the pork roast recipe with this...I have a pork roast sitting here for Sunday and some sauerkraut and apples and potatoes and I am thinking that would be a great place to park them all!! Mark would be delighted!!
Posted by: Kayte | February 07, 2013 at 08:46 AM
MMMMM - now I have the cravings for a reuben sandwich bellini!
I should have thought to add some ribs with the sausages Susie. That would have been so good.
I agree kayte - pork and sauerkraut is such a happy pairing.
Posted by: JDeQ | February 10, 2013 at 11:16 AM