Tried and true recipes, new twists on old favorites, and new dishes to expand my family's palate.
A few years ago, my husband came across a recipe in a magazine and decided to make it. When he told me about it I looked at the recipe and thought, This is not something I would have chosen. Nobody is going to eat this.
One of the few things my husband and I have in common is our enjoyment in cooking. Not always together since he tends to crowd me in the kitchen. But there have been plenty of times I have been adventurous with my trying of new recipes, so I wasn’t about to crush his hopes at trying something different.
The original recipe, which we lost several years ago when the magazine got thrown out, was cooked in the slow cooker. It also contained pork chops. We found the pork chops, no matter if we used boneless or bone in consistently came out dry and everyone preferred the Kielbasa anyway. So from memory we made the recipe again, leaving out the pork chops, doubling up on the Kielbasa and the sauerkraut, and it became a hit.
My daughter will not come near this dish. My 8-year-old son, however, loves this dish. He devours it when I make it. This is the same child who refuses to eat macaroni and cheese unless it comes out of a box. My pickier eater out of all three of my children. And this is the dish he loves. I don’t try to figure it out, I just go with it. Makes life easier.
This type of dish is really something you either really like, or really don’t like. I haven’t come across any middle ground here. For us, it’s become a favorite. The smokey flavor of the kielbasa, the briny tang of the sauerkraut, and the potatoes that just absorb it all work really well together.
This is really easy to make and it’s very forgiving. I don’t really worry about measurements here because no matter how we have made it, it always turns out good.
Give it a try and see what you think.
Kielbasa, Sauerkraut and Potato Bake:
Serves: 4
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Slice potatoes and Kielbasa and set to the side.
In the bottom of a large dutch oven, begin layering your ingredients. Place 1/3 of sauerkraut on the bottom of the slow cooker.
Top the sauerkraut with some sliced potatoes follow by a layer of sliced Kielbasa. Sprinkle with some black pepper and italian seasoning.
Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of sauerkraut, italian seasoning and black pepper.
Pour over the liquid of your choice, either the wine, beer or chicken broth.
Cover and place in the oven on the middle rack.
Allow to cook for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes.
Remove from oven and keep covered until ready to serve.
Enjoy.
Note: You will see I left out salt. You don’t need it. Between the sauerkraut and the Kielbasa, you will have plenty!
If you prefer to cook this in the slow cooker, use the same layering process, and cook on low between 6 to 8 hours.
This time I used Russett Potatoes, because that’s what I had on hand, but I prefer it with Red Potatoes.
