From this post, you know how really far behind I am in my blog posts. :) Well, what can I say? Life has been busy, and I have been tired. So, while this post is four months late, you could also look at it as being eight months early...that gives you plenty of time to prepare yourself for this year's Oktoberfest, right?
Bavarian-Style Beef Roast and Sauerkraut
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3-pound beef boneless tip roast, trimmed of fat
2 teaspoons caraway seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag (16 ounces) frozen small whole onions
1 can (16 ounces) Bavarian-style sauerkraut, undrained
1/2 cup dark beer or beef broth
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
Directions:
Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook beef in oil about 5 minutes or until brown on all sides. Sprinkle with caraway seed and salt.
Place beef in 5- to 6- quart slow cooker. Place onions, sauerkraut, and 1/4 cup of the beer (or beef broth) around beef.
Cover and cook on low heat setting 6-8 hours.
Remove beef from cooker; cover to keep warm. Mix flour, remaining 1/4 cup beer (or beef broth) and the mustard in small bowl; gradually stir into juices in cooker. Increase heat setting to high. Cover and cook 15 to 30 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve beef with juices.
Makes 10 servings.
Source: Betty Crocker, you can find it
here.
Notes: Oh, this was so good. Such a great mix of flavors. Not your regular pot roast, that is for sure.
Herb Spaetzle
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup mixed chopped herbs (parsley, chives, marjoram, oregano, or dill are great)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil over medium heat.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until they are a homogenous mixture.
In a large bowl, add flour and make a hole in the flour. Add a pinch of salt and using a fork, gradually combine the milk/egg mixture with the flour. Mix until they are just combined. Stir in 1/4 cup of the herbs.
Place the batter in a colander over the boiling water. Using a rubber spatula or a spaetzle maker, push the batter through a colander into the boiling water. Boil the spaetzle for 2 to 3 minutes or until firm. Drain the spaetzle and place in a medium bowl. Add some olive oil and remaining 1/4 cup of herbs. Toss to coat evenly and serve immediately.
Source: Food Network, recipe by Anne Burrell, you can find it
here.
Creamy German Potato Salad
Ingredients:
4 1/2 pounds red potatoes (about 18 medium)
1/2 pound bacon strips, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Directions:
Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes; place in a stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until tender.
In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 5 tablespoons drippings. Set bacon aside.
In the same pan, saute onion in drippings until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually stir in sugar and vinegar. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes until thickened.
Remove from the heat; gradually whisk in cream. Set aside. Drain potatoes. Transfer to a large bow; add reserved onion mixture and bacon. Stir gently to coat. serve warm.
Yield: 13 servings (3/4 cup each)
Source: Taste of Home, you can find it
here.
Notes: Holy cow, this is good stuff. I could go for this now...for lunch and dinner, all by itself.
Gurkensalat (German Cucumber Salad)
Ingredients:
2 large cucumbers, sliced thin
1/2 onion, sliced thin (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon paprika
Directions:
Spread cucumbers and onion on a platter; season with salt and let rest for 30 minutes. Squeeze excess moisture from cucumbers.
Stir sour cream, sugar, vinegar, dill, and parsley together in a large bowl.
Fold cucumber and onion slices into the sour cream mixture.
Refrigerate 8 hours to overnight; garnish with paprika to serve.
Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by hisunbeam. You can find it
here.
Notes: This is so fresh, light tasting, and flavorful. It also made for some great leftovers. Good stuff!
Slow Cooker Brats
Ingredients:
2 packages fresh bratwurst links (10 brats)
1/4 cup butter
2 cans beef broth
2 onions, cut in half, and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2-3 cups sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
10 (6-inch) bratwurst buns
Directions:
In a slow cooker, combine the butter, beef broth, onions, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, minced garlic, brown sugar, and sauerkraut. Place bratwurst on top over all. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
The slow cooking imparts a wonderful flavor to the bratwurst. It makes them very tender. If, like me, you prefer to have brats that are browned and slightly crispy on the outside, remove them from the slow cooker and place them on a foil covered jelly roll pan and broil on high for 1-2 minutes or until browned to your taste.
Serve bratwurst alone on buns with your favorite mustard, or on buns topped with saurkraut/onion mixture.
Source: I modified this from a recipe that I found on Allrecipes.com, submitted by Dgoodcookr. You can find it
here. We have actually posted this before on another Oktoberfest post, which you can find
here.
Notes: This is so flavorful. The sauerkraut/onion mixture is so tasty either on top of the brats served on buns, or served on the side.
German Honey Mustard
Ingredients:
1 cup honey mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the mustard, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and celery seed.
Top favorite brats with mustard and serve on buns.
Source: Taste of Home, you can find the full recipe
here.
Notes: We didn't make the full recipe, which includes directions for marinating the brats in and then basting them with the honey mustard. Though I can only imagine it would be super tasty that way too. The honey mustard was quite good.
Red Cabbage
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
5 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 lb red cabbage, cored and shredded (8 cups shredded)
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple packed in juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp caraway seeds
Directions:
In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently until the bacon is crips, about 5 minutes. remove with a slotted spoon. Do not drain off the bacon fat.
Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring frequently until the onion is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the cabbage and stir to coat. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook, stirring occassionally until the cabbage begins to wilt, about 20 minutes.
Return the bacon to the pan. Add the pineapple and its juice, vinegar, salt, and caraway seeds. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the cabbage is very soft, about 25 minutes. Serves 4.
Source: We got this out of an old Biography Magazine. Too bad those magazines are out of print now. They were great magazines and the recipe section was always outstanding! I have not been able to find them online as of yet.
Caramel Apple Strudel
Ingredients:
5 medium apples, peeled and chopped (5 cups)
3/4 cup apple cider or juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed
1/4 cup fat-free caramel ice cream topping
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon coarse sugar
Sweetened whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, and/or additional caramel ice cream topping, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large saucepan, combine the first six ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 15-20 minutes, or until apples are tender, stirring occasionally. Cool completely.
Unfold puff pastry onto a large sheet of parchment paper; roll into a 16x12-inch rectangle. Transfer paper and pastry to a baking sheet, placing a short side of the rectangle facing you. Using a slotted spoon, arrange apples on bottom half of pastry to within 1 inch of edges. Drizzle apples with caramel topping. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with the bottom side. Pinch seams to seal and tuck ends under.
In a small bowl, whisk egg with water; brush over pastry. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cut slits in top. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. If desired, serve with whipped cream, ice cream, and/or additional caramel topping.
Yield: 8 servings.
Source: Taste of Home, you can find it
here.
Notes: Oh, I love apple strudel. This is good stuff. I have also made
this recipe for apple strudel before too, which is also fantastic.
The Extras
Soft pretzels
Assortment of German mustard and pickles
German cookies
Buns for the brats
Oh, and don't forget to stock up on as many different kinds of root beer as your can find! :)
