Alsatian German-French baked sauerkraut, pork and potatoes.
Choucroute Garnie
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
This is basically a baked sauerkraut dish from the mountainous regions of the Alps between Germany and France. Which is why you see some ingredients from both regions. It’s perfect as a New Year’s Day meal as it satisfies the lucky components of sour food (the kraut) as well as pork. There is quite a bit of wine in the dish, but it cooks out so really doesn’t have a strong flavor.
It is very hearty, but you really don’t have to overdo it when piling your plate- there are several kinds of meat but you need not feel obligated to partake in all of them. The flavors of those combine to enhance the whole. Think of this as the Alsace version of the Italian Sunday Gravy where just about everything goes in, but you don’t have to have some of everything. This is sauerkraut potluck.
It speaks to both Bill’s heritage as well as a little bit of my own. Not that it is a family recipe- my mother would make ribs in sauerkraut but never like this. I wish I’d been able to share this with her when I was a child- I wasn’t as fond of that version of kraut but am very happy to eat this. My mom was excellent at other dishes, such as her famous potato salad. Being married to Bill, I learned the proper way to serve sauerkraut. Think of it as wifely duty if you will, but if I was going to prep kraut, it had to be good enough for me to want to eat it.
I hope this suits your tastes.
Tomorrow I am posting my recipe for Croatian Szeked Goulash, which is another sauerkraut recipe. Don’t worry- I don’t eat kraut every single day! This was finished earlier in Autumn, but still is perfect for a New Year’s kraut supper. It’s not from my heritage, but I love the paprika in it as I always enjoy cooking with that spice in European type foods. I’m thinking about posting Italian Sausage with Lentils on Friday and Posole on Saturday but will let you know tomorrow as things should be very certain by then. I hope you’ll join me!
~Sue
Choucroute Garnie
Ingredients:
- 20 ounces pork rib tips or pork riblets
- salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons rendered duck fat (or whatever fat you have, like olive oil or ghee)
- 1 large onion, cut into wedges
- 5 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1-1/2 teaspoons juniper berries
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seed
- 3-5 bay leaves
- 48 ounces Bavarian sauerkraut (has wine in it)
- 12 fluid ounces Riesling wine or Pinot Gris
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon Anciennes whole-grain Dijon mustard
- 15 ounces smoked bone-in pork chops
- 1-1/2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes
- 6 German frankfurters
- 14 ounces smoked kielbasa or smoked Polish sausage
Method:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Trim fat from ribs and cut into smaller pieces if possible- if you have tips you may not be able to cut it all up but that’s okay. If you have riblets, those are easily cut apart between the bones. If there is membrane on the back- don’t worry about it. Season the pork before browning with salt and pepper.
- Heat duck fat in a large cast iron roaster (if you don’t have a roaster you can brown in, do your browning in a skillet and transfer to a roaster to bake) and brown the rib pieces, onions and garlic.
- Add the juniper berries, caraway, bay leaves, and sauerkraut on top of the meat and pour the wine and broth in. Stir in the mustard. Lay the pork chops on top of the kraut and cover.
- Bake for one hour, then add the frankfurters, smoked sausage and potatoes (I put the potatoes ringing the pan). Cover again and bake another 30-45 minutes or until you can slip a paring knife in and out of the potatoes easily.
- Serve with lots of extra whole grain Dijon mustard, and I recommend some pumpernickel rye bread and something like steamed green vegetables or a cucumber salad. Maybe some applesauce or fried apples for those who like it.
From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com
