choucroute garnie

A family recipe!

Ingredients:

1.5 kg of raw sauerkraut cabbage (250 g / pers. approx. 300g can be used)
1 kg of firm-fleshed potatoes such as Charlotte
1 white onion
10/15 juniper berries
Bay leaves
Caraway seeds
1 bottle of Riesling (to be consumed in moderation) or champagne for a "Royal" sauerkraut. It can also be cooked with beer.
Do not salt

Meat:

500 g smoked raw chuck
300 g of raw smoked bacon from Paysan PW
1 smoked raw ham

Sausages:

1 or 2 PW Morteau sausages and or 2 PW Montbéliard sausages (can be cut in half)
6 PW old-fashioned knacks (1 knack per person)

Preparation:

• Wash and rinse the sauerkraut well in clear water, then drain and squeeze by hand.
• Brown the chopped onion in a large casserole with a little fat (a little oil, lard...)
• Add half of the sauerkraut, 2-3 juniper berries, caraway seeds, one or two bay leaves. Brown all this a little and add the meat (palette, bacon, ham, Montbéliard or Morteau sausages) on top.
• Cover the meat with the rest of the sauerkraut, one or two juniper berries and moisten with a little water and a large glass of white wine until the meat is covered.
• Cover and cook over low heat for 2 hours.
• Before the end of the cooking time (10 minutes), add the potatoes cooked separately (steamed or boiled) and the knacks (which can be reheated for 10 minutes in water separately if preferred) to the sauerkraut.
• Serve the meat with the sausages on a bed of sauerkraut, with the same wine that was used to cook this good homemade sauerkraut! Suggest mustard to your guests or a little horseradish for example.

Variations: you can add a few cloves, a little pepper on the meat, thyme, coriander instead of juniper berries, a few diced apples to sweeten the cabbage. This Petit Gauchnot is to be reheated separately in the oven. It is a good option if your casserole does not allow you to cook everything in one dish.

Here is a simple and friendly dish that can be adapted to your taste!