Saturday, December 27, 2008

A belated Weihnachtsgrüße!

For Christmas this year, I went with a German dish. The half of the family I was with is the German-Norwegian side, and all things sausage and beer are most appreciated.

My mom made this once. All I remember is that she called it "Auflauf." Turns out, all that means is "to come together." The dish itself was a variation on Schaefer or Wagners Auflauf, and my mom made it all her own. It's supposed to be like a shepherd's pie; knackwurst, sauerkraut, and topped with mashed potatoes and baked. My mom made it with a layer of scalloped potatoes, sauerkraut, wurst, and a topping of gouda cheese. I wasn't completely into the idea of making vegan sausage as well as taking a risk with the Gooda Uncheese, so I made it the easiest, and most traditional way.

I started with Isa's spicy pinto bean sausage recipe, but left out all the spices and soy sauce in her recipe, and instead used about a teaspoon of sea salt, cumin, ground coriander, and half a teaspoon of nutmeg. Then a generous dose of pepper (white pepper would be much better, but I am all out), and nooch. Kneaded it with my hands, rolled up in foil and steamed until I forgot and the smoke detector went off.

Here are my sliced knackwursts in my Brand New Le Creuset.



I made mashed potatoes, using grapeseed oil, unsweetened soy milk, salt, and a little nooch. Use red potatoes, and leave the skins on. You want it to be spreadable, so a little more milk than usual helps. The sauerkraut was from a can, although I prefer the Eden Organic in the jar. It was what they had at Target, which is where I came up with the idea. I heated it up in a small saucepan with a tablespoon of maple syrup and a tablespoon or so of caraway seed. Spread it evenly over the knackwurst slices.



Then the potatoes.



Bake for 30 or so minutes at 400° until the top looks nice and golden. Let sit for 15 minutes, and serve in slices. Wash down with a good German beer with family and friends. Don't tell them it's vegan until the dish is picked clean.

3 comments:

River (Wing-It Vegan) said...

It's good to see you're back cooking delicious meals! This dish looks amazing!

Michelle said...

This looks delicious! I'm going to try it out!

LE said...

God that looks good!