Grandpa's Sauerkraut and Kielbasa

Submitted by Twitterpated

"I grew up asking for sauerkraut instead of candy as a child, and my grandfather always made it for me. This is my version of what he would make."

 

• Ready In: 3hrs 20mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (four if you are a garlic lover)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon thyme leaves
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground sage
• ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 potatoes, peeled and diced (try to use a waxy potato like Yukon gold (russets will disintegrate in the baking process)
• 1 (16 ounce) bag sauerkraut, from the deli aisle (not canned please)
• 1 lb beef kielbasa, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (two if you're an insane sausage lover)

directions

1. Put the cold butter in a cold pan with the diced onion, and slowly bring to a simmer on medium heat.
2. This brings out the sweetness of the onions.
3. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Add minced garlic and simmer 2 more minutes.
5. Add next 3 ingredients.
6. Combine with the sauerkraut (undrained and not rinsed), kielbasa and potatoes.
7. Bring to a simmer on the stove top.
8. Cover loosely with foil and place in a preheated 225°F oven for 3 hours.

Reviews

[juzdon]

I've been craving my grandma's sauerkraut and kielbasa... I haven't had it since the early 1970's. Grandma Ruth would stand by the stove hovering over a large pot of sauerkraut, potatoes, and kielbasa, with a cigarette dangling out of the corner of her mouth, stirring and slow cooking all day long. I didn't have sage, so I used marjoram and oregano, and I doubled the seasoning amount. I also used a little chipotle powder instead of pepper and added a little beer to the mix. Smelled amazing as it cooked in the oven all afternoon long. It tasted even better than grandma's (especially since I omitted the occasional cigarette ash that fell into the pot while Grandma Ruth stirred the delicious mixture). Thanks for sharing. It brought joyful memories of weekends spent in upper Michigan at my grandparents' cottage on Lake Michigan.

 

[sales]

I've made this for years, the seasonings in here are slightly different than what I usually use and I liked them, thank you. The only change is I always melt swiss cheese on top. Nothing better than swiss cheese (or jarlsburg) with sauerkraut!

 

[Chill1360]

I didn't really have three hours to put into this. I cooked at 325 for 1 1/2 hours. came out perfect.

 

[Montana Ma]

Bless yer Grandpa's memory! This is just a savory delight! I gilded the lily by sauteing the onion and garlic with very lean chopped bacon (about 6 oz.), using Bell's Seasoning for the thyme and sage, adding a half cup of white wine, and tossing in a diced apple (apples, onions, garlic, and potatoes all home-grown)...<br/>This is an outrageously good recipe - thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

[Perry S.]

I have made this for several years. A Polish friend gave me this exact same recipe about 40 years ago. One of my favorite dishes. The only thing I do differently is I place the cubed potatoes in the bottom of the dutch oven or casserole dish first then cover them with the onions mixture and kielbasa and kraut...cover it and cook.....delicious.