During a recent trip I found that sadly most of those restaurants, in fact most of the ethnic neighborhood, is now history. One of the remaining places is Laschets Inn on Irving Park Road where they still lovingly prepare such favorites as Chicken Paprikash, Königsberger Klopse, Leberkäse and a wide variety of sausages and you can find Hacker-Pschorr Munich Gold, Spaten Optimator,Stiegl Goldbraü, Warsteiner Dunkel and other beers on tap.
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| Nothing says Oktoberfest like German beer |
If I could only pick one meal to represent Okoberfest to me it would be a bratwurst plate with sauerkraut and fried potatoes with onions.
The way I prepare it differs significantly in most ways from the way my grandmother made it in that the way she cooked with lard, salt pork and copious amounts of butter would set off the “Call the Cardiologist” alarm in my house. I am much lighter on such things as you will see below:
- 2 small sausage links per person. I like to prepare about a 3” link of bratwurst and the same size of a polish sausage for each serving
- 2 small (about 2” diameter) potatoes per person
- 1 large white onion
- About ½ cup of prepared sauerkraut per person
- 1 large cucumber
- Sour cream
- Weber's Brand mustard
- White vinegar
- Fresh dill
- Butter
- A fresh loaf of unsliced dark rye bread with a dish of real butter
- Relish tray consisting of dill pickles, olives, marinated cauliflower, pickled onions, etc.
This is one of those meals where you will feel you need to have 10 hands, as everything needs to be ready at the same time. I suggest you prepare the cold relish tray in advance as well as the cucumber salad. Either coordinate the potatoes and sausage to be done at the same time or have the potatoes ready first and then keep them warm.
I bake my sausages until the skin turns golden brown and a bit crispy. Consult the cooking times on the package. Since Oktoberfest only happens once a year go to a good ethnic butcher shop and splurge on sausages that they make fresh on the premises.
For the potatoes I try to make them as close as I can to grandma’s. I take 2 of them per person (usually don’t make less than 6-8 at a time as the leftovers are delicious), slice them to 3/8” thickness, then boil them until the slices break apart when speared with a fork. Drain. Quarter an onion and slice into ¼” thick slices. Brown in real butter (read elsewhere where I discuss the nutritional value of butter). When browned, add the potatoes and about ½ cup of real butter and fry until the potatoes are browned, stirring often.
The cucumber salad is easy. Slice the cucumber into a bowl using your mandolin (or if you don’t have one, with a sharp knife) to extremely thin, about the thickness of a letter containing a bill (we all know what those feel like, right?). If you like you can add about 2 slices of onion, sliced even thinner. Add a teaspoon of white vinegar and a dash of salt and pepper (how much is a dash is discussed in another article). Mix in about 2-3 rounded tablespoons of sour cream, sprinkle with a little fresh dill and refrigerate to marinate for at least an hour.
Finally the sauerkraut … whether you get it in a can or a bag be sure to rinse it for at least 10 minutes. Many people can’t take the strong flavor right out of the can. Fry it in some real butter with a little salt and pepper over medium-low heat. There will be an article soon on the Art of Cooking Sauerkraut but until then this will get you by.
The whole meal can be served family style, which means to put the sausages on one serving platter, the potatoes into a serving bowl, same with the cucumber salad and sauerkraut and let your guests serve themselves from the relish tray and bread & butter. To be authentic have some condiment dishes available of fresh ground horseradish and Weber’s Brand mustard.
Genießen Sie Ihr Essen (enjoy your food)
QUOTE FOR THE DAY:
"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower"
- Albert Camus
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