German Skillet Recipe & German-influenced Cooking for Fall

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It's the time of year when we turn inward, away from the outdoor activities of summer.  The shorter days and cooler temperatures are signaling to our bodies to eat heartier foods - soups, stews, & other warm meals.

This is the time of year when I love to cook German-influenced meals.  Although I'm a mix of a few forms of European ancestry, the majority of it is German.  The area where I was born, raised, and currently live was heavily settled by Germans in the 1800s.  My great-grandmother was full-blooded German, born to immigrant parents here in this Northwest Illinois county.  As a child, I was scared to death of her.  She was the typical no-emotion-showed, no-touching allowed, German great-grandma.  So, although I learned to live with this, even when forced to visit her house by my mom, although never particularly learned to enjoy it, I can be glad of my German ancestry for one reason:  I was raised with some German cooking at home.  Although my husband isn't too thrilled about my love for All Things Vinegar as well as sauerkraut (which he kindly refers to as sauerkrap), he is a very happy man when I make the following German Skillet.

We made a batch of Beer Bratwurst last weekend - my husband makes the best, click for the recipe.  We used up the last of the locally-raised & made brats from our freezer and used up a lot of homebrewed beer from a keg that was less-than-a-favorite (ahem) at a local family homebrew gathering.   After cooking the brats, I save the onions &  peppers from the stock to reuse, as well as freezing the beer brat stock for future soups.  We make extra brats for leftovers.

So, let's begin!
Today I used leftover brats as well as leftover Oven Fries (click for recipe) to make a German skillet of sorts.  I've had a few cabbages in my fridge from the farm garden, as well, so I'm going to use those as well.  It's a Clean-Out-the-Fridge German-inspired morning!  Here's the recipe:

German Breakfast Skillet
-2 leftover beer brats, chopped
-1/4 head of cabbage, shredded
-3 cups of leftover oven fries (or other potatoes), chopped
-1 cup chopped sauteed onion (or leftover cooked onion from Beer Brat Stock)
-1/2 cup of cheese (optional)

Cook onion & cabbage until soft.  Add chopped brats & cooked potatoes.  Heat until warmed through. If desired, sprinkle with grated cheese (swiss is a good choice here) and allow to melt. Salt & pepper if needed.

Serve with a smile.   :-)

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