My Godmother's Favorite:
A Vegetarian Casserole with Sauerkraut and Potatoes
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Today's recipe was handed to me from under the Christmas tree at my godmother and aunt Heidrun's house this last December. This German casserole is traditionally vegetarian and gluten-free and consists of layers of sliced, boiled potatoes and a sauerkrau-onion-apple mixture that's then finished with a delicious, creamy topping of sour cream, crème fraîche, eggs and lots of Emmentaler cheese - it's so so good! In case you're missing the meat, my aunt recommends adding the leaner bits of bacon, diced up, to the sour cream mixture. This dish can be served on its own for a warm lunch or dinner, along with a light salad; my husband and I decided to skillet-grill some brats with it and dunk them in mustard - yum! Whichever route you decide to go, I hope this recipe will become a staple in your household as it will in ours!
A Digestif, Anyone?
Sauerkraut, onions and cheese share the characteristic of not being the most easily digestible food things. Offering a digestif, or after dinner drink or shot, can help digestion and is a proper, after-dinner step when hosting guests, especially when serving critical foods. Williams-Birne Schnaps is one of the most popular brandies in Germany and the German Schladerer distillery, est. 1844, makes a phenomenal one!
Not only is this pear brandy super tasty, using pears from the German Black Forest, France and Italy, but the traditional production method is also super cool! I grew up with this unique brandy (watching my parents drink it for the most part of course), for which a pear is grown inside of the bottle before filling it with the brandy. Imagine seeing trees with a bunch of bottles attached to its branches - how cool is that? While Schladerer doesn't include a pear in your bottle, they give you more delicious brandy for your buck. 😉 Check ourniche.com to learn more about this specialty pear drink and to find out where it's available to purchase in your area.
Next Up: Kirschmichel
Thank you for stopping by my blog! Please stay a while, try this casserole recipe and many other German recipes, leave some feedback and ideas in the comment section below, and subscribe to receive weekly emails with new recipes! Next week, I will be sharing one of my cousin Anna's favorite recipes for a Kirschmichel - a German cherry bread pudding! Yum!
Ingredients for 4 servings (if served on its own):
- A jar of good, German sauerkraut, about 1.5 lbs or 680 g (I bought mine at World Market from Hengstenberg - see photo)
- 1 lb (500 g) waxy potatoes
- 1 lb (50o g) apples, about 3 medium sized apples (I used Gala, but Granny Smith would also work great!)
- 2 medium sized, yellow onions
- 7 oz (200 g) Emmentaler cheese, grated
- 2 eggs
- 7 oz (200 g) light sour cream
- 7 oz (200 g) crème fraîche
- salt, pepper, thyme and mild paprika powder
- optional: 4 oz (120 g) diced, leaner cut bacon
Method:
- Boil the potatoes skin-on until soft when poked with a knife, drain, and let cool to room temperature. Once cook enough, peel and cut into slices.
- Peel and medium dice the onions. Heat a skillet with high sides over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and the onions and cook until they start to become translucent. Stir in the sauerkraut.
- Peel and core the apples, then grate them onto the sauerkraut-onion mixture. Add in one teaspoon of mild paprika powder, thyme and salt, stir, add a lid if you have one, and continue to let cook while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Heat convection oven to 340 degrees.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the sour cream, crème fraîche, cheese, 1 teaspoon of thyme, 1 teaspoon of mild paprika powder and some salt (add in the diced bacon if you would like).
- Prep a casserole dish by brushing on some melted butter. Layer the potato slices and sauerkraut in the dish, finishing with the cream-cheese mixture. Bake on the middle rack for about 30 to 35 minutes or until a brown crust forms on top.
- Guten Appetit!
Sophie's Sauerkraut Potato Casserole Tools & Entertaining Picks
Some Other Family Recipes To Try:
- Uncle Gerd's Böfflamott - a delicious Bavarian beef roast
- Oma Sieghilde's Klößchen - homemade potato dumplings sautéed with egg, served with sauerkraut and bacon - my favorite!
- Homemade Döner Kebab - A phenomenal recipe to create the most popular German-Turkish fast food and one of my all-time cravings! I call this my own family recipe!
I received compensation from Niche Import Co. in exchange for writing this post. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions, thoughts and recipes are my own. This post contains affiliate links, which means that I may be compensated if you click certain links.
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