In October, when many cooks’ thoughts lean toward apple and pumpkin, mine veer toward German Sausage and Sauerkraut. This is a very easy recipe for some absolutely fine everyday fare. An excellent sausage makes the difference: I opted for locally made Sheboygan bratwursts and paired them with an imported wheat beer.
Ingredients
Bacon grease (or vegetable oil)
1 med. red bell pepper, stem, seeds, and ribs removed, finely diced
1/2 med. red onion, finely diced
1 Tbs firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
1 tsp caraway seeds
2 lb. smoked German sausage
1 jar (16 oz.) sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 2.5-quart casserole dish. Mix red pepper, onion, vinegar, caraway, and brown sugar well. Spread it into the casserole. Place the sausage atop the pepper mix, and top that with sauerkraut.
- Cover, and bake until heated through, 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer. Broil until lightly browned, 7 minutes.
Notes
- If you use a sauerkraut that has caraway, you may not need all or any of the caraway in the ingredient list.
- Note that some sausages need cooking, while other are edible as-is and need only to be heated through. You may have to adjust the bake timing for different types of sausages.
Social Learning
According to Merriam-Webster’s definition, anything cooked in a casserole dish is a casserole. That may explain why I found the recipe that I used as the basis for the one I’m presenting here, in a book of casseroles (see fine print, below). However, there’s no reason you have to use a casserole dish for this recipe. A shallow baking dish or oven-safe skillet would work suitably, I’m sure.
If you want this casserole to be something really special, go to a butcher or sausage shop for the sausage – and probably for the sauerkraut, too.
This recipe should work with many types of sausages. However, which sausages will go with sauerkraut, and which won’t? Of course, experience will teach you. But in the meantime, I would think a good butcher’s advice would be helpful, especially if the sausages were made in-house. A really good salesclerk might also know. You’d think that a quick search on your phone would also be helpful … but apparently, the Internet thinks that Italian sausage and sauerkraut are a thing. Are they?
Unlike many other casseroles, this isn’t a meal in itself. It needs a side or two. The editor of the original recipe recommends pumpernickel and spicy applesauce, followed by gingersnaps.
The Backstory
Although I’m sure cheeseheads fall out of their fishing boats when a Chicagoan says it, I used locally made Sheboygan brats for the photos in this post. Their namesake, Sheboygan Wisconsin, is the bratwurst capital of the U.S., and is not terribly far from my sweet home, Chicago. I also used a sauerkraut from Door County, WI (Weinke’s), which went with the brats like “a couple two three” goes with a Packers game.
I absolutely love this dish. The Sheboygan sausage is tender and meaty. It’s juicy without being greasy. The kraut, onions, and peppers are so mild, and the small bit of brown sugar seems to bring the veggies out just slightly beyond their natural sweetness. (I could imagine bringing the amount down to two teaspoons, although I liked it as-is.) You might accompany this casserole with a bit of mustard, but just a tiny bit; too much mustard would easily overpower this dish’s mild, comforting flavors.
German sausage, of course, must be consumed with beer.
I’m pretty sure it’s legally impossible to eat German sausages with anything but beer. I love a good wheat beer, so I opted for a Franziskaner Weissbier, from the city that I still kick myself for not moving to long ago, Munich. It was perfect for the casserole. It’s clean enough to clear your palate between bites, but mild enough to complement the delicate nuances of the casserole.
Because I’m Polish, I also tried the sausage with a Staropolskie Miodne (honey beer). It went well with the sausages, in a very different way. Though they were both good choices, I think I prefer a savory pairing over a honey-flavored one, so I lean toward the wheat beer. But let’s talk about the honey beer.
Honey Beer
Honey beer is new to me. The first thing that strikes me about it is how light it is. It’s sweet, but not in a cloying, sugary, or syrupy way … sort of like an ice wine. But then, midway through each sip, there’s quite an amazing shift as the beer flushes into a grassy, hoppy, malt flavor with lingering strands of honey. This creates a bittersweet balance that is quite remarkable. Apparently it is in the striking of this balance that honey beers are judged.
Honey beer is also called “braggot.” It is generally considered a cross between mead and beer, and predates the invention of beers made exclusively from grain. The Staropolskie label is graced with image of Bolesław the Brave, who was the first King of Poland, but more importantly also the Duke of Bohemia, which is the name I go by when I frequent nightclubs.
Bratwursts were originally grilled over a file fueled by pinecones! I spend the summers in the middle of an old-growth, deciduous/pine forest. You can bet you’ll see a cone-fire brat recipe on this blog in the near future.
German Sausage and Sauerkraut
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! unless otherwise credited. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Thank you, Kesor. Reference: “German Sausage and Sauerkraut” in The Big Book of Casseroles, edited by Maryana Vollstedt, 156. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2000. I plan to launch a line of men’s edible clubwear under the “Duke of Bohemia” label. Watch for that this fall. And of course, there’ll be a Duke of Bohemia scent, because that’s where you make all the money. It will smell like love, beauty, velvet, art, bacon grease, sex in a machine shop, and campfire smoke – which is exactly how you’ll look in our clubwear.
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This is a perfect recipe for the beer festival 🙂
angiesrecipes recently posted…Saffron Spelt Knots with Poolish
It sure is!
Mmmmmm. I last enjoyed this while visiting Colmar in France. My mother’s father was Alsatian so she made this kind of thing often. It’s just so homey and delicious!
Absolutely! Thanks, Mimi!
This reminds me of a dish my grandmother used to make that I loved. It looks so good. Some of my grandfathers ancestors migrated to Munich and Bern from Prussia and he took me there when I was 11. I wanted to move there so badly. I still think about it from time to time.
What an adventure that would’ve been!
I rarely eat sausage of any kind anymore. But in my younger days I loved kosher hot dogs (on hot dog buns), topped with mustard and sauerkraut. To make it a perfect meal I’d also have a kosher pickle and a side of baked beans.
That does sound like a perfect meal!
Another fall recipe-winner, we adore sauerkraut so I know I’d love this dish. JT isn’t much of a sausage lover (IKR?) but he would definitely like this dish. Nicely done.
Eva Taylor recently posted…Spaghetti Carbonara
Thank you! My husband also is not a sausage lover, so we can have dishes like this only occasionally. I’d have it every day if I could!
Jeff this looks like just the perfect way to combine sauerkraut with sausage. I make my own sauerkraut in Winter and put caraway seeds in it giving it a beautiful flavour, but I’ve never thought to casserole it like this with sausage. I need to use some up, and this would be perfect. Honey beer sounds perfect. Enjoyed your backstory too. Thanks for sharing this one.
McNee recently posted…Harvesting honey from our beehive, we’re beeside ourselves.
You’re welcome!
Each year, when the weather finally cools down I make cabbage rolls or brats with sauerkraut and peppers. I really enjoyed this post, and wow what opportunities you have to really purchase an array of brats or other style sausages.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful post with us. Happy Fall.
Velva
Velva recently posted…Mushroom Barley Soup
Thanks, Velva! I haven’t had cabbage rolls in so long! I’ve got to make some!
The comfort level of this is off the charts, Jeff! We often have German sausages with beans for supper — have never made then with sauerkraut. It’s time to try this — Mark loves sauerkraut. Now to the bad news… and I’ll probably need to be arrested. I don’t like beer. I’ve had maybe 5 in my life — in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, and Namibia — and they just didn’t do it for me. Sorry. I’ll have a good wine with the sausages instead.
Oh, how interesting! Well, if you get arrested, I’ll be your cell mate. I would never admit this publically, but if I never had another beer in my life, I’d be OK with it. I do like a really good beer, though. So I guess that’s where we differ. But I think that part of the reason I like it is that I have it on such rare occasions. It always seems special. Ordinarily, I’d say, “But have you tried…” But you’ve tried! Anyway, yes – it’s a really welcoming dish. The sauerkraut really mellows and gets very, very comfort foodie.
As we have a good wine fridge. One thing about me is that I don’t like carbonated drinks. No sodas, seltzer or even fancy waters. Or beer. I’m a wine/water/cocoa kind of guy.
Ah, there you go then.
Looks like real comfort food, Jeff! I have to say, you also caught my attention when you talked about honey beer. That’s something I’d never tried or even heard of. Need to check that out, if only for the experience.
Frank | Memorie di Angelina recently posted…Baked Ziti
I enjoyed the honey beer. I hope you get a change to try it!
Yep, perfect for October. And I imagine for a beer. 🙂 ~Valentina
Thanks, Valentina!
If you could imagine the cheeseheads falling out of their fishing boat with local sausage, what do you have to say about me thinking about making this recipe with vegan sausage !!! Love sauerkraut so why not! lol !
Judee recently posted…Pumpkin Red Lentil Soup in The Instant Pot
Yes to vegan sausage. Vegan foods have come a long ways. I’ve become quite partial to the Impossible Whopper at Burger King.
Sauerkraut and sausage, now you are talking Jeff. It’s in my DNA. Peppers are a nice addition , I like it.
Thanks, Gerlinde!