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.   :-)

Thanks for visiting the All Natural Mama blog, home to Wishful Acres Organic Farm!

How we do brats around here

Well the weather hit the 50s last weekend so we busted out the grill for a meatfest.
We love brats around here. I've recently discovered that brats are a mainly upper midwest tradition. I had always thought everyone ate them! :-)
Must be from the Europeans who settled around here... Germans love sausage.
Being so close to Wisconsin, we of course have to make them beer brats. They're just not worth eating otherwise.
Here's how we do it in these parts:
First, you'll need a bunch of beer. The cheap beer is for cooking the brats (cheapest you can get - we use Milwaukee Red). The good beer is for drinking while you're making the brats.

Add the beer to a stockpot. Then add chopped onion and chopped garlic. If the brats are only for adults add some diced jalapenos and jalapeno juice to kick it up a notch. If the kids will be eating them definitely leave out the peppers.

Toss in the fresh brats (if you can find a butcher shop or meat market that makes them fresh they'll be even better!). Bring all to a boil and let simmer for 20-30 minutes or so.

They'll be cooked all the way through so they won't require long on the grill. Just toss on the grill and let cook until beautifully browned.
Now put on a bun (preferable whole wheat and if you have time make them yourself from this recipe (substitute whole wheat flour and use the oval lid of a butter dish to cut out correct shape) - you'll never want a store-bought bun again). Here's the best part. Get a slotted spoon and scoop out the onions, garlic, and jalapenos and put them on top of your brat. Delicious! Now add some mustard. The best mustard is from Baumgartner's in Monroe, WI!
Don't even THINK about putting ketchup on that brat.
Sauerkraut is awesome as well!
I almost forgot! Don't toss out that beer stock! Put it in freezer containers or a large freezer bag and save it to use as stock for your beer chili in the winter!