Eat Voraciously: Sorta choucroute garnie

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Here's what's for dinner tonight.

By G. Daniela Galarza

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Sorta choucroute garnie

It can take a cabbage anywhere from 40 to 150 days to grow to full size. Smaller cabbages, like bok choy, mature rather quickly. But larger ones, such as quintal d'alsace, the massive green and white cabbages that thrive in Alsace in Northeastern France, spend many months in the ground. They grow so large that a human baby can nestle comfortably in their sturdy, blossomed leaves.

No matter what Xavier Roberts's Cabbage Patch Kids suggests, babies are not born from cabbages. But these massive plants can become a hearty meal: Choucroute garnie is a traditional spread from the region, a feast of sauerkraut — sûrkrût in Alsatian, which means sour herb — potatoes, mustard and a frankly unholy pile of pork: knuckles, jowls, shoulders, bellies and feet, pickled or cured or turned into sausages.

But choucroute garnie isn't really from France, according to Françoise Branget, author of "French Country Cooking: Authentic Recipes from Every Region, and a former politician. "It arrived in France before the Revolution with the Swiss Guard of the ancien regime," Branget writes. "At that time the dish merely consisted of cabbage. By the nineteenth century, potatoes were added. When various meats and charcuterie appeared with it, it became choucroute garnie."

Subgenres of the dish exist in pockets throughout the region: Choucroute strasbourgeoise features Strasbourg sausages, which have a characteristic snap. Choucroute paysanne is a more casual, country-style version with bacon. Traditional recipes are scented with juniper berries, peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves and wine, generally riesling from the region. When made with champagne, it's called choucroute royale.

It's a wintertime dish, hearty and filling. But it can be severely labor-intensive. This recipe, for sausages roasted atop shredded cabbage, onions and jarred sauerkraut, is inspired by the flavors of the Alsatian classic. Serve it with tiny boiled potatoes, crusty bread, a green salad, a glass of riesling and a lot of mustard.

(If you're having a Super Bowl feast on Sunday, you could always make sandwiches out of this meal, which will be easier to eat while you're watching the game. Want a few other ideas? Check out this guide my editor Matt Brooks put together!)

Today's recipe

Photos by Rey Lopez for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post

Sheet-Pan Sausages With Sauerkraut and Mustard

To make this vegan >> use large, cooked or canned and drained, white beans or vegan sausages instead of the pork sausages.
To reduce the sodium content >> use low-sodium sausage, rinse the sauerkraut, or omit the kraut and use 5 cups shredded cabbage instead.
If you prefer a less acidic dish >> use more fresh cabbage than sauerkraut.
Dislike onion? >> Slice up a potato instead.
No apple cider? >> White wine, beer (alcoholic or not) or vegetable broth will work here, too.

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Servings: 4 (1 1/4 sausage and 1 1/2 cups vegetables)

Active time: 10 mins
Total time: 40 mins

Ingredients

Canola or olive oil, for greasing
3 cups (20 ounces) sauerkraut with its liquid
2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cabbage (any kind)
1 small red onion (about 5 ounces), sliced
1 tablespoon mustard, preferably whole grain, plus more for serving
1 pound pork sausage, such as Polish or sweet or hot Italian (about 5; may substitute veggie sausage)
1 cup hard or fresh apple cider
Sprigs of fresh thyme, for garnish (optional)
Crusty bread, sandwich rolls, or roasted or mashed potatoes, for serving (optional)

Steps

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

2. Grease a large, rimmed baking sheet with oil and add the sauerkraut, cabbage, onion and mustard. Using tongs or your hands, mix until the mustard is evenly distributed, and then flatten into an even layer.

3. Nestle the sausages atop the vegetables and pour the cider over everything. Roast for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan front to back and roast for another 15 minutes, or until the sausages are cooked through and the cabbage and onions are tender.

4. Garnish with the thyme sprigs, if using, before serving family-style with additional crusty bread, sandwich rolls or potatoes and mustard, if using.

Tested by Kara Elder.

Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 292; Total Fat: 19 g; Saturated Fat: 6 g; Cholesterol: 81 mg; Sodium: 1612 mg; Carbohydrates: 9 g; Dietary Fiber: 5 g; Sugars: 3 g; Protein: 21 g.