German Ham and Cabbage Casserole

4 c. coarsely chopped ham, or available meat
16 ounce dry macaroni, or 2 lbs potatoes
1/2 head cabbage, chopped well
1 1/2 c. sauerkraut
6 tbsp butter
3/4 c. flour
5 c. milk
1 c. dry white wine or sherry (NOT cooking sherry)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
3 1/2 c. shredded cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 inch casserole or other similar sized dish.

NOODLE VERSION:
2a. Cook noodles according to package directions in salted water. Strain out water and dress with a small amount of oil to keep noodles from sticking together.

POTATO VERSION:
2b. Peel potatoes.  If they're large, chop them in half or quarters to have pieces the size of a large chicken egg.  Boil the potatoes not quite fork tender.  Remove from water and cut into 1/4 inch slices.

3. while the potatoes/noodles are cooking, chop the cabbage.  The cabbage should be partially cooked before mixing into the casserole.  Use a large pot, fill with 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, add all the cabbage and parboil for 3 minutes.  Drain immediately and set aside.

4. I used a spiral-cut ham for this and just coarsely chopped up 4 cups worth of meat.  There was still plenty left for other things!

5. Make the roux: in a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until foam subsides. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in milk, salt, pepper and caraway seeds. Stir frequently until the sauce thickens, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Stir in sherry and move to next step.

6. Mix the meat, cabbage, sauerkraut and sauce in with the noodles/potatoes. Pour mixture into the casserole dish. Stir in the shredded cheese.

7. Bake for 40 minutes or until the cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

German Fried Potatoes and Sausage

3 pounds russet potatoes, washed and quartered
6 ounces sliced smoked bacon
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons German mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium red onion, 1/2-inch dice (about 1 cup)
4 large bratwursts or similarly sized sausages, cooked, and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup sliced fresh chives

Put the quartered potatoes into a pot of water over high heat.  Once boiling, boil for ~5 minutes strain out the water.  The par-boiled potatoes should be placed into the freezer for 45 min to an hour to freeze them. 

Make the vinaigrette next.
Fry the bacon in a frying pan.  Drain off 1/4 c. of bacon grease.  Blend the mustard and 3 tbsp of vinegar, then whisk in the grease to emulsify.  The result should look somewhat like thousand island dressing.  Season with salt and pepper.

Remove potatoes from freezer and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

Pour oil and any remaining bacon grease into a large dutch oven and begin frying the onions.  Once the onions are beginning to soften, add the potatoes and season liberally with salt and pepper.  Saute the potatoes 4 to 6 min, until they are cooked through, stirring frequently.  Turn heat to med-high and continue cooking 6 to 8 min. more, until the potatoes are lightly browned and crispy.  Add the chopped sausages and bacon, and toss well with the mustard sauce.

Garnish with chives.

German Creamed Spinach

Ingredients:

Two 10-ounce boxes frozen spinach, thawed
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups grated aged Gouda cheese or colby cheese

Strain the thawed spinach and squeeze as much liquid out as possible. Set aside

Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook the onions until softened. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the cream and nutmeg and cook on med-low until the liquid is reduced in volume by roughly 1/2.  Stir in the cheese until melted, then mix in the spinach and blend until thoroughly combined.  Cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes, till spinach is tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

Kirsch PfannKuchen - German Cherry Pancake

Ingredients:
1 tsp butter, melted in a 9 inch, oven-safe frying pan

batter:
1 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 c. milk
3 large eggs
1/2 c. flour1 tsp. vanilla
 
2 c. pitted sweet or sour cherries, fresh, or frozen, halved
1 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c. sliced almonds

Serve with:
powdered sugar 
Sour Cream

Preheat oven too 450 F.
Put the 1 tsp of butter in the frying pan and melt it on stove. Remove from heat once melted and make sure the surface is covered with the melted butter.

Whisk the melted 1 tbsp of butter with the eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Add the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon to combine. 

Add the cherries to the frying pan, evenly distributing across the surface.  Pour the batter over the cherries, trying to cover them all evenly.  Sprinkle the almonds over the top.

Place in oven for 15-20 minutes.

let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.  Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar and a spoonful of sour cream.