Choucroute Garnie
Savor the rich flavors of Choucroute Garnie, a hearty dish with sauerkraut, savory meats, and tender potatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 kg sauerkraut
- 400 g thick-cut bacon
- 600 g salted pork knuckle or pork shank
- 4 Morteau or Montbéliard sausages
- 800 g potatoes
- 2 onions
- 25 g lard
- 2 dl Riesling
- 10 juniper berries
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cloves
- 1 tsp black pepper
How to make it
- Rinse the sauerkraut briefly if it is very sharp, then squeeze it dry. Slice the onions. Crush the juniper berries lightly and tie them with the bay leaves and cloves in a small bundle if you have one.
- Put the bacon in a cold heavy pot with the lard and let the fat render over low heat until the bacon edges turn lightly golden. Add the onions and cook them until soft and translucent.
- Stir in the sauerkraut, black pepper, juniper berries, bay leaves and cloves, then pour in the Riesling. Add the pork knuckle or shank, nestling it into the cabbage.
- Cover and simmer gently for about 1 hour, turning the meat once, until the cabbage is tender and the pork is giving way at the bone.
- Add the potatoes around the meat and on top of the cabbage, cover again and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until the potatoes are tender when pierced.
- Lay the sausages on top for the last 20 minutes so they heat through and stay plump, with the skins just beginning to split.
- Lift out the pork and let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting it into thick pieces. Keep the sauerkraut glossy and tangled, not dry.
- Serve the choucroute in a wide shallow serving dish with the cabbage piled in the centre, the potatoes tucked around it, and the sliced pork, bacon and whole sausages arranged on top.
