317. SAUERKRAUT GARNISHED with BRATWURST, KNOCKWURST, PORK CHOPS, and BACON

a.k.a. Choucroute Garni

serves 6 to 8


12 oz. bacon, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced
4 cups chicken stock or broth
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups sauerkraut, drained
12 baby red potatoes, halved
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
freshly ground pepper to taste
6 to 8 juniper berries (optional)
4 bratwurst, scored (2 or 3 small diagonal slashes a fourth of the way through)
4 knockwurst, scored
3 or 4 smoked pork chops, halved if large
assorted mustards as an accompaniment

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon, leaving 1 tablespoon of drippings in Dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, garlic, and carrots and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Return bacon to Dutch oven. Add stock, wine, sauerkraut, potatoes, bay leaves, herbes de Provence, pepper, and juniper berries, if desired. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, about 1 hour. Add meats, submerging some into the stew. Simmer, covered, until sausages have plumped up and flavors are blended, 30 to 35 minutes longer. Remove bay leaves and discard. Serve with an assortment of mustards.


courtesy of: The Big Book of Soups & Stews, by Maryana Vollstedt. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2001, p. 132