Sauerkraut-Eintopf (sauerkraut stew)
A simple, tangy one-pot stew built on jarred sauerkraut and potato, with smoked pork or bacon giving it depth, close to the filling for a Bavarian sausage plate turned into a soup. Rinsing some of the sauerkraut's brine off before it goes in the pot is what keeps the finished stew tangy rather than aggressively sour.
Prep15 min
Cook40 min
Servings4
Christoph's sauerkraut stew, some of the brine rinsed off before it goes in the pot to keep the finished dish tangy rather than aggressively sour.
Ingredients
Written for a 4 L pot
Units
Temperature
Servings
Stew
- 500 g sauerkraut, drained, a little of the brine reserved rounded
- 400 g waxy potatoes, peeled, in 2 cm chunks rounded
- 150 g onion, finely chopped rounded
- 150 g smoked bacon, diced (optional) rounded
- 30 g neutral oil, if not using bacon (optional) rounded
- 900 ml vegetable or beef broth rounded
- 2 g caraway seeds rounded
- 1 bay leaf rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
- to taste freshly ground black pepper rounded
Method
- Rinse the drained sauerkraut briefly under cold water and drain again, keeping a little of the reserved brine for adjusting seasoning at the end. This softens its sharpness before it goes in the pot.
- Render the bacon in a large pot over medium heat, if using, until crisp, about 5 minutes; otherwise heat the oil.
- Add the onion and sweat 4 minutes, until softened.
- Add the sauerkraut, potato, broth, caraway and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer 30 minutes, until the potatoes are fully tender and the sauerkraut has softened.
- Fish out the bay leaf. Season with salt, pepper, and a splash of the reserved sauerkraut brine if you want more tang.
Method in the Thermomix
Written for a TM5 or TM6, 2.2 litre bowl.
- Bacon into the dry bowl, if using. Sauté 5 min / 120°C / speed 1, measuring cup off. Add the onion. Sauté a further 4 min / 100°C / speed 1.
- Add the sauerkraut, potato, broth, caraway and bay leaf. Cook 30 min / 100°C / reverse / speed 1, simmering basket on the lid.
- Remove the bay leaf. Season with salt, pepper and reserved brine, mix 5 sec / reverse / speed 1.
Notes
- Rinsing the sauerkraut briefly before cooking is the one step worth not skipping. Straight from the jar it can dominate the whole pot; a quick rinse tones it down to tangy rather than mouth-puckering.
- Keep a little of the sauerkraut brine to adjust at the end. It is easier to add more sourness than to take it away once the stew is simmered.
- This is a rustic, forgiving stew. The exact ratio of sauerkraut to potato can flex depending on what you have; more sauerkraut gives a sharper, lighter stew, more potato a heartier one.
- It keeps for 4 days in the fridge and, like most sauerkraut dishes, is often better the next day.
Ingredient substitutions
- Smoked bacon can be diced smoked sausage, added with the sauerkraut instead of rendered first, or left out entirely with oil in its place for a vegetarian version.
- Beef broth gives a richer, more traditional result than vegetable broth.
- A spoonful of sour cream stirred through at the table is a common, non-traditional finishing touch.
From Christoph Mayer