Sauerkraut-Rösti-Auflauf (sauerkraut and rösti bake)
A grated potato rösti base pressed into a baking dish and pre-baked until firm before the sauerkraut and cheese topping goes on, rather than trying to bake a soggy raw layer under a wet filling in one go. Squeezing the grated potato properly dry is just as important here as in a pan-fried rösti; it is the same technique in a different vessel.
Prep30 min
Cook45 min
Oven200°C
Servings4
Christoph's sauerkraut rösti bake, the rösti base pre-baked firm before the topping goes on rather than trying to cook a soggy layer under wet sauerkraut in one go.
Ingredients
Written for a 26 × 20 cm dish
Units
Temperature
Servings
Rösti base
- 800 g waxy potatoes, peeled, coarsely grated, squeezed dry rounded
- 60 g neutral oil rounded
- 8 g fine salt rounded
Topping
- 400 g sauerkraut, drained, briefly rinsed rounded
- 100 g onion, finely chopped rounded
- 150 g smoked sausage, sliced (optional) rounded
- 100 ml cream rounded
- 100 g grated hard cheese rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C. Combine the squeezed potato, oil and salt in a bowl, mixing evenly. Press firmly into an oiled baking dish in an even layer.
- Bake 25 minutes, until golden brown at the edges and firm enough to hold together when pressed.
- Meanwhile, combine the sauerkraut, onion and sausage, if using, in a bowl.
- Scatter the sauerkraut mixture evenly over the pre-baked rösti base. Drizzle with the cream and scatter the cheese over the top.
- Bake a further 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
Notes
- Pre-bake the rösti base until firm before adding the wet topping. Skipping this and layering everything at once leaves the potato underneath raw and soggy, since the sauerkraut’s moisture never lets it crisp or set.
- Squeeze the grated potato as dry as possible, exactly as you would for a pan-fried rösti; this is the same technique, just baked instead of fried.
- Rinse the sauerkraut briefly before using it, which softens its sharpness so it does not dominate the whole dish.
- It keeps for 3 days in the fridge and reheats well, covered, in a moderate oven, though the base loses a little crispness on reheating.
Ingredient substitutions
- Smoked sausage can be smoked bacon, or left out entirely for a vegetarian version.
- Cream can be crème fraîche for a slight tang.
- A little caraway scattered into the sauerkraut is a traditional, easy addition.
From Christoph Mayer