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Have you ever planned an entire meal around a condiment? Sometimes I’ll crave ketchup, for example, and then I’m left looking for a food vessel to eat it on (I wouldn’t just sit down with a bottle of ketchup and a spoon…now that would be weird ;) ). (In case you’re wondering, my ketchup cravings are usually satiated with scrambled eggs…yes, I eat ketchup on scrambled eggs, lol. But never on eggs with runny yolk.) The other day I was at a grocery store – not my normal grocery store, mind you…and you know how much fun it is to look around at new grocery stores – perusing the aisles, when I happened upon the cutest little jar of German mustard. And nothing goes better with medium-hot mustard than sausages. And nothing goes better with sausages than sauerkraut when you have German cuisine (for Regional Recipes) on your mind.
The Cutest Little Jar of Mustard I’ve Ever Seen
I’m sending this recipe to Joanne (of Eats Well With Others) for her Regional Recipes Roundup of German cuisine!
Al Fresco’s Apple-Maple Chicken Sausages…Pork-Free, Gluten-Free, All-Natural, and Pretty Delicious…And I Promise I Don’t Work For Al Fresco ;)
A Note on the Sausages I Used: If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you probably know that Mike and I don’t eat pork. For this dish, I wanted to use chicken sausage with apple (since I was planning to make apple-kraut) and I had no idea if there even was such a product (we generally don’t eat a lot of sausage), but at the store I was thrilled to find Al Fresco’s Apple-Maple Chicken Sausage. Not only is it a great blend of sweet and savory flavors, but being a breakfast sausage, its small shape and size is reminiscent of the more traditional Nuremberg sausages. Of course, you can use any sausage you like or have on hand.
Sausages & Sauerkraut
(Yield: 2-4 servings, depending on how hungry you are)
2 TB canola oil, divided
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 lb sauerkraut, rinsed and drained (to remove excess salt)
2 TB organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
2-4 TB brown sugar, lightly packed (more or less to taste)
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp caraway seeds
1/4 tsp ground marjoram
1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and diced
8 oz sausage (I used Al Fresco’s Apple-Maple Chicken Sausage)
Fresh minced parsley (for garnish)
Pumpernickel or sourdough bread (for serving)
Medium-hot mustard (for serving)
In a 3-quart pot with a lid, heat 1 TB oil over medium heat; add the onion and sauté until it’s starting to soften (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add the rinsed and drained sauerkraut, vinegar, sugar, bay leaf, caraway seeds, marjoram, and 3/4 c water. Cook over medium heat uncovered for 10 minutes; add the apple, cover the pot, and cook another 5 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone and the apple is tender.
In a medium skillet with a lid, heat the remaining 1 TB oil over medium-high heat; add the sausages, then pour in enough water to come about halfway up the sausages. Put the lid on but leave it ajar so the water can evaporate; cook the sausages about 7-10 minutes, until the water is gone and they’re golden brown; give the pan a gentle shake every couple minutes to turn the sausages.
Serve the sausages and sauerkraut garnished with fresh minced parsley, alongside pumpernickel or sourdough bread and plenty of medium-hot mustard.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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I know the feeling! I build dishes around sauerkraut all the time, which is why I’m here! I’m going to try and find the sausages you used they sound and look delicious. Thanks for sharing, can’t wait to try this at home!
It’s 9:36 in the a.m. and I haven’t had breakfast. This is torture, because Ich auch liebe … sausage (I forgot how to say sausage auf Deutsch) und sauerkraut. This looks great. Seriously great.
With a blend of apples, chicken and maple syrup…I’d want to have those sausages too ;0) the gluten-free part is certainly a bonus! I could only wonder if I could find them here in Montreal? I took note of it.
Great dish Faith.
Ciao for now,
Claudia
Can you believe I’ve never had a chicken sausage? These sound really good! I like the apple kraut too. Such a lovely fall dish of flavors you put together!
As always Faith you inspire me to think outside the box. I too love perusing new markets and grocery stores. That apple sauerkraut sounds great – never would have thought of that combo! I will be on the lookout for those Al Fresco sausages. I too prefer chicken sausage over pork. Trader Joe’s has many good ones & I love Amylu’s Chicken, Apple Gouda too. xo
hooray for apples and sausage! and chicken sausage, at that! what a filling and flavorful meal. :)
I get turkey sausage but my daughter prefers beef. She just doesn’t get it, in my house. I use chicken or turkey over beef, any time.
I relate to your shopping trip at a new store. Recently, I went to a store, I go to occasionally, a few times a year. I needed one or two items. Oven one hundred dollars later, I left the store with all those oddities, I can’t usually get. It was fun but that fun cost me.
I have grown quite fond of German food ever since I took a trip to Alsace as a kid with my family and tasted there sauerkraut for the first time; love the hearty sausages and these are actually pretty lean, which is nice!
That is such a gorgeous little pot of mustard. I’d have to make it the highlight of the meal too.
funny you should say… when I make my new pickles every year, I always make corn dogs to eat with them… love the combo! Yours look great… you should try making sauerkraut one of these days… it’s sooo good and fun to make!
I could plan a whole meal around mustard. There was a curry-spiced one (the company stopped making it) that I was into about two years ago..
Chicken sausages…, its my latest thing, I’ve discovered all sorts of tastes that go so well with them too, some of them a bit weird & wonderful, but you know what its like when you’ve discovered ‘your latest thing’ !! Gotta try your sauerkraut Faith…, and the mustard.., excellent. Thanks Lovely :)
It is so rare (at least, where I live) to find really good German mustard. It absolutely makes all the difference in your experience of the cuisine. Wonderful use of ingredients here!
It’s so funny that you mention ketchup and scrambled eggs- I just posted about making ketchup, and how my partner Loves it on his scrambled eggs (among many other things!)
I use the Alfresco chicken sausages all the time. I stock up on them when they are on sale! Never saw the breakfast ones though! Sounds great!!
Have a magical Monday!
That is an adorable little bottle of mustard! I’m a huge fan of sauerkraut. I could eat that stuff on almost anything. My dad makes the best homemade sauerkraut…soooo good :)
this meal makes me miss Germany! :)
This is one of our favourite meals. The biggest problem is finding german sausages near us in the UK, and it is even more difficult in France. I usually can manage to track them down though from time to time and then I fill the freezer! Diane
Mustard and sausages are a perfect match. I’ve never tried sauerkraut, though!
… wait, so I’m NOT supposed to sit down with a bowl of ketchup and a spoon?? ;) I think it’s so creative (and imaginative!) that you build a whole meal around a condiment! I’ve never picked up a jar of mustard and though, “I think I’ll make sausages & sauerkraut” – I’m very impressed! I also love that you gave a range of serving sizes based on how hungry we are :P I love sausages and sauerkraut, and I’ll have to look for those chicken sausages. Great recipe, Faith!
I think my German grandmother has been sneaking around your house! This looks like something she used to make for us! It looks fabulous, Faith!
This could easily become my husband’s favorite meal. You’ve presented it beautifully.
That little mustard jar is darling.
Sam
That’s a perfect German brunch! And I love that mustard jar.
Apple-maple sausages?!! That sounds so delicious!! Yum! I just made some very good German friends so this reminds me of them and the beautiful time we had at a wedding last week. Brings a smile to my face at the memories, thank you ;)
Ich liebe Sauerkraut. :)
I am such a sausage fan…Any pic of them wins me over, esp when paired with sour, salty, crunchy saurkraut like that!
I’ve never tried sauerkraut but you sure made it look good!
perfect breakfast!! I haven’t had breakfast like this for quite sometime now!! Looks like I need to have one – soon soon!
Have a great week up ahead!
jen @ http://www.passion4food.ca
Love the al fresco chicken apple sausages! and yours looks really fantastic with the sauerkraut and the brown bread! Great looking plate, you gave me a craving now, thanks!
Ketchup on scrambled eggs, good stuff!
What a delicious dinner this would be. By the way, I just saw your recipe for cranberry jam below. It looks excellent and I’ll have to try it one of these days. I love the fact that it doesn’t require any pectin and yet it still jells beautifully.
I don’t eat pork sausages either… this sounds like a great option!!
Only as an adult have I come ’round to liking sauerkraut. Thank goodness, too, because I love it now. With sausages, it’s a marriage made in beer heaven, too. ;)
hehe yes I have Faith! Nothing wrong with that right? I look upon most breads as a vehicle for butter too. That looks lovely :P
Never had chicken sausage before. This looks like a very appetizing lunch. I love the sauerkraut near it. And the last photo above mustard is gorgeous! Drooling!
I love that little jar of mustard! That’s a delicious meal, Faith, especially love the flavor of sausage that you used. Love cabbage in any form, so this is a perfect fall dish that I’d be very happy to eat!
That is truly the cutest jar of mustard i have ever seen too!!
Wonder if Amazon has it too?
Bdw,i loveee ketchup with eggs and everything else too!!
With so delicious a meal ,u have me hungryyy !!!
I plan meals off of one ingredient/condiment too. This plate of German inspired food looks delicious…I adore sauerkraut, and I don’t eat it nearly as often as I should. Now I have a serious craving for some. Thank you for sharing.
Sauerkraut is so good for you! My half German bf would love this dish :-)
I crave condiments as well, ha … and most of the time, it’s ketchup!
I’ve planned entire meals around condiments before. And I’ve licked mustard gobs off plates. You’re not odd at all!
Yum! Love Sauerkraut and Sausages!!!I’m going to look for these Apple Maple Sausages!
That is a perfect lunch! A healthier version of sauerkraut and sausages.
Cheers,
Rosa
Faith,
Meal looks delicious. I need to taste Sauerkraut. Hardy rye bread make its more special.
I just finished reading Joanne’s blog featuring German food. It’s a great cuisine for this time of year, when food that’s a little heavier starts to sound appealing!
I like ketchup on my scrambled eggs, too! My husband thinks that it is disgusting. But he doesn’t really like ketchup on anything, so he just doesn’t get it. As for the sauerkraut and sausage, it looks delicious and you’ve not gotten me craving sauerkraut! ;)
Yes I do put ketchup on scrambled eggs and I have planned meals around a condiment – great minds think alike! Your sausages and sauerkraut make the perfect fall meal!
I’ve been to germany and I love their sausages. This is the perfect breakfast for me.
This is a beautiful meal. Wow. We enjoy grilling chicken sausages. This is a healthy way to enjoy a lower-fat version of sausage. The meal is quite healthy.