Applewurst and Kraut – an easy weeknight meal
German wurst (or wurste) can be loosely translated as sausage … and sometimes cold cuts. There are many different varieties of wursts, but only a few are readily available to us in the US. That’s too bad, because they’re all pretty amazing.
My grandpa used to eat blood sausage (blutwurst), and there was pretty much every kind of sausage in his refrigerator known to man. My dad was addicted, too, so I was always around it which resulted in my own slight addiction. The funny thing is, my German grandma hated all kinds and my mother doesn’t much care for it either!
Likely the most common in the US is bratwurst. It’s available in grocery stores under several brand names and we’ve nicknamed these sausages “brats”. Most folks buy them, plop them on the grill, then on a bun, smother them in mustard and chow down. There are SO many other ways to prepare wursts … and I almost never grill them. One thing I do agree with … don’t poke the wurst … it will let you know how unhappy you made it!
Applewurst and Kraut
Like I said, I grew up on all sorts of sausage. Mom didn’t like it, but she made sure we had it … Daddy wouldn’t have gone through some serious withdrawals. That said, applewurst is one that I have only had as an adult. There isn’t a lot of information around about applewurst and I have a sneaky suspicion that it’s more an American-German creation. I have some pals in Germany … so I’m determined to figure this out!
Applewurst is similar to bratwurst in shape, but the flavor it much more mild. Yes, there are apples in it, which gives it more of a sweet spicy taste … and it is so good! I buy mine from Wenneman Meat Market in St. Libory, Illinois.
I simply sear mine in a hot frying pan, then simmer them in a good German beer until done. No grill necessary and definitely no bun! No mustard either. This takes about 20 minutes, I leave mine just a teeny bit pink in the middle, and they continue to cook through as I’m plating dinner.
Tonight, I served these with buttery mashed potatoes, and my sauerkraut.
I can my homemade kraut in the brine, so I have to remember to rinse it before cooking it … otherwise, it’s dreadfully salty. I melt butter and brown sugar in a pan, then add my kraut and heat through. Use about a tablespoon of both butter and brown sugar for a couple of cups of kraut. It doesn’t take much. Add some caraway seeds for a more German flavor.
This was so freaking amazing, I wanted to eat my weight in it! It took me less than 30 minutes to pull this together … full disclosure, I use my pressure cooker for things like mashed potatoes because it cuts cooking time quite a bit. Noodle loved it. MPG loved it. All was good! Except, I don’t have any left for lunch tomorrow. Sad.
