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Grandma's Fried Sauerkraut

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Resting Time 5 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: German
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Potatoes
  • 4 large Yellow Potatoes Quartered, rinsed
  • 1 bottle Cheap Beer
  • 4 cups Beef Broth
  • Water to cover
Sauerkraut
  • 1 jar Frank's Kraut with Caraway Seeds (see note)
  • 1 large Yellow Onion chopped medium
  • 1 tbsp Caraway Seeds double if not in kraut too
  • 2-3 pinches Brown Sugar to taste
  • 2-3 shots Tabasco Sauce
  • 1 tsp Crushed Garlic
  • Black Pepper to taste
  • 1 knob Butter
Meat
  • Protein of choice see notes for suggestions

Equipment

  • 1 2.5qt Pot
  • 1 Large Cast Iron Skillet with lid

Method
 

Potatoes
  1. In 2.5 Quart pot, combine all ingredients under "Potatoes", adding enough water to cover potatoes by 1 inch.
  2. Cover pot and boil over high heat for 15-20 minutes or until fork tender.
Sauerkraut
  1. Remove kraut from jar into strainer. Squeeze out as much juice as possible. Go ham. I literally wring it. Reserve Juice.
  2. Leave kraut in strainer and continue to drain while preparing onions.
  3. Heat cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
  4. When pan is hot, add enough neutral oil to coat and give 30 seconds to warm.
  5. Add onions and sauté until translucent.
  6. Add garlic and stir until fragrant.
  7. Add Kraut, Brown Sugar, Caraway Seeds, and Hot Sauce.
  8. Stir occasionally and heat through.
  9. When hot, add a few tbsp of reserved kraut juice to moisten, pepper, and knob of butter. Stir to combine.
  10. Add lid to pan, remove from heat and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Plating Out
  1. Potatoes should be done about the same time kraut is. If potatoes still need time, the kraut is warm and happy in its covered pan. Give the kraut the occasional toss to keep it moisturized.
  2. Drain potatoes when fork tender. Salt lightly and distribute among plates, or to serving dish
  3. Repeat step for Sauerkraut
  4. Repeat step for Protein of Choice
  5. Serve with sides of choice, and some good hearty rye bread and butter.

Notes

I know everyone is giving that hot sauce the side-eye, but I swear on everything, that was Grandma's secret ingredient for a lot of her dishes.
You don't add enough to make the dish spicy! That's not the function of that ingredient in this case. Small amounts of hot sauce, below people's spice tolerance, have a tendency to open up the taste buds and make for a more flavorful dish. It's a cheap flavor boost and a few extra antioxidants.
Get as much juice out of that kraut as you can. Wring it out, tease it apart with your fingers, and do what you need to do. You can't hurt the stuff. The other purpose is that you want the kraut to fry and heat through, not steam. Steaming will kill a lot of flavor. It will smell strong while cooking. Don't worry. We add some of that juice back later and let the latent heat in the pan steam the final product to help mellow it out and let the flavors combine. The brown sugar and butter also knock the sharpness off the top and give the kraut a pleasing gloss for serving. 
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