Step 1: Preparing the Choucroute Garnie
- 2 onions, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 5 carrots, roll cut*
- 5 medium Yukon potatoes, peeled and quartered (or 2 lbs nugget potatoes, unpeeled)
- 1 small whole onion, peeled
- 6 cloves, pressed into the small whole onion, above
- 15 juniper berries, lightly crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 - 750 ml sauerkraut, drained
- 1 1/2 cups, dry wine, preferably Riesling
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
To start the dish, first, prepare all of your mise en place. Note: If your sauerkraut is really tart, you may want to drain and rinse the kraut first.
Next, heat a Dutch oven, over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the onions and garlic and dry-sauté. If desired, you could use a tablespoon of oil to sauté the onions. Let cook for about 10 minutes, or until softened, but not too browned.
At this point, remove half of the onion mixture and reserve. Next, start to the layer the ingredients into the Dutch oven. To start, add half of the sauerkraut to the remaining onions, then add the potatoes, carrots, whole onion with cloves, juniper berries, bay leaves, caraway seeds and seasoning. Lastly, scatter the reserved onions over top, followed by the remaining sauerkraut. Season again.
Pour the white wine over top, cover and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Then turn the heat to low and let cook for about 45 minutes. Alternatively, this can be cooked in a 350°F (175°C) oven.
Step 2: Finishing & Serving the Dish
- 1/3 cup water, as needed
- Plant-Based Sausages (optional, but highly recommended) SEE NOTE
After approximately 45 minutes, check the potatoes and carrots, if they are still a bit hard, let cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. If the mixture seems a bit dry, add a bit of water at this stage as well.
When done, the vegetables should be fully cooked through and tender. Once done, let the dish sit for 10 to 15 minutes, before serving. This will give the potatoes and carrots time to soak up some of the liquid.
Note: This dish goes extremely well with plant-based sausages (such as a Frankfurters, bratwurst, and beer sausages). If adding sausages, bring a pot of water to a bare simmer and add the sausages. Allow them to simmer until they plump up, then remove them from the water. Add the sausages to the choucroute and return to the oven uncovered for a few minutes to allow the skins on the sausages to crisp, just a bit.
This meal is best served with friends and family and a really good baguette.
The roll-cutting is used for long vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips, and Asian eggplants
To do the roll cut, hold the blade of the knife perpendicular to the board and cut straight down on the diagonal. Then roll the vegetable a quarter-turn, and cut straight down again at the same diagonal angle. Continue rolling and cutting in this way all along the length of the vegetable.
Here is a short video from Rouxbe on how to do the Roll Cut.