Choucroute garnie
Sauerkraut with smoked pork and sausages
Wine-braised sauerkraut piled with smoked pork, sausages and potatoes
From the winstubs of Strasbourg to the brasseries near Paris's Gare de l'Est, choucroute garnie is the dish that announces autumn, when the new season's sauerkraut arrives. It is a pork feast: smoked pork belly and smoked pork loin braised on a bed of sauerkraut softened with white wine, juniper and onion, then crowned with Strasbourg and smoked sausages and boiled potatoes. The cabbage turns mellow and silky rather than sharp, and soaks up the smoky fat. The braise uses dry white wine; the ingredient notes give an alcohol-free swap. Serve it with strong Dijon mustard and a little horseradish on the side. Chef's tip: rinse the sauerkraut only once and squeeze it well, so it keeps a little tang but doesn't make the whole dish sour.
- Total time
- 130 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the sauerkraut
- 3 ⅓ lb raw sauerkrautrinsed once and squeezed dry
- 1 ⅜ oz lard or goose fat
- 2 onionsthinly sliced
- 2 garlic clovessliced
- 1 ¼ cups dry white wine (Alsace riesling)or the same amount of chicken stock plus 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 8 juniper berrieslightly crushed
- 3 cloves
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
For the garnish
- 1 ⅓ lb smoked pork loin (Kassler)in one piece
- 2 lb waxy potatoespeeled, halved if large
To serve
- 4 tbsp Dijon mustard (optional)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Melt 1 ⅜ oz lard or goose fat in a large casserole over a medium heat and soften 2 onions with 2 garlic cloves until translucent but not browned.
8 minStep 2: Add 3 ⅓ lb raw sauerkraut and fork it through the onions, then tuck in 8 juniper berries, 3 cloves, 2 bay leaves and 1 tsp black peppercorns. Pour in 1 ¼ cups dry white wine (Alsace riesling) and 1 cup chicken stock.
Step 3: Bury 14 oz smoked pork belly (in one piece) and 1 ⅓ lb smoked pork loin (Kassler) in the cabbage, cover and simmer gently over a low heat.
60 minStep 4: Add 2 smoked pork sausages (Montbéliard or Morteau), pushing them into the cabbage, cover again and keep simmering until the sauerkraut is pale gold and soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
30 minStep 5: Meanwhile boil 2 lb waxy potatoes in salted water until a knife slides in easily, then drain.
20 minStep 6: Lower 6 Strasbourg sausages or frankfurters into a pan of barely simmering water for 8–10 minutes until hot through. Don't let the water boil: that is the usual reason frankfurters split.
10 minStep 7: Check the sausages: any raw pork sausage must reach 160°F in the centre; the smoked loin and belly are already cured and simply need to be piping hot. Lift out the meats and slice the belly and loin.
Step 8: Pile the sauerkraut on a large warm platter, arrange the sliced meats, sausages and potatoes on top and serve with 4 tbsp Dijon mustard.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 720 kcal
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 46 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does choucroute garnie take?
- About 130 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 110 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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