Sauerkraut (zuurkool) is a firm Dutch favourite much loved as a good hearty winter dish. In Holland you can still buy it straight from a wooden barrel at our small village greengrocers. Sauerkraut was simply a way of preserving white cabbage through the winter by placing the shredded cabbage in a barrel and adding salt. Nowadays it’s more frequently found in supermarkets (try the Eastern European section!) – the best stuff is vacuum packed, but the glass jars are okay too. Make sure to put white pepper on the table for seasoning – nothing better than a peppery sauerkraut dish!

Prep Time : 10 minutes
Cook Time : 50 minutes
Total Time : 1 hour
Serves : 4

Ingredients

  • 1Kg potatoes
  • 450g Sauerkraut
  • 250g minced beef,
  • Small tin pineapple chunks
  • Grated Cheese (optional)
  • tbsp pepper

Preparation – Option 1 – Layered with Mash

  1. Peel and chop the potatoes
  2. Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes and then mash them.
  3. Fry the minced beef and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Fill an oven dish with layers of mashed potato, sauerkraut, minced beef, pineapple chunks, and then add more sauerkraut and then top with mashed potato.
  5. If you’re not too bothered about calorie content, add some grated cheese to the top layer
  6. Add salt and pepper to taste
  7. Cook in the oven for approx 30 minutes until nicely golden on top.
Alternatively …

Preparation – Option 2 – All Mashed together [Stampot in Dutch]

  1. Peel and chop the potatoes
  2. Place the sauerkraut on top in the same pan then boil for approximately 20 minutes and mash together once the potatoes are done.
  3. Add minced beef (fry in separate pan) and mash through again.


Tips:

  1. The pineapple is used to reduce the bitter taste of the sauerkraut. However raisins and citrus fruit such as clementines also combine well with sauerkraut. So does white wine!
  2. If you find the sauerkraut too sour, remember next time to cook it separately for approx 10 mins in a little water, then drain away the liquid before using the sauerkraut as described above.
  3. Serving just mashed potatoes and sauerkraut works well too, particularly combined with smoked sausage!