Meals · Roasts, ribs & slow cooker
Kasseler mit Sauerkraut (German smoked pork loin with sauerkraut and mash)
Juicy slices of smoked pork loin warmed through on sauerkraut that has simmered with onion, apple, juniper and white wine, with a mound of nutmeg-scented mashed potatoes. A Berlin favourite that comes together in about an hour and a quarter.
- Time
- 75 min (20 prep + 55 cook)
- Servings
- 4
- Per serving
- 622 kcal
- Protein
- 55 g
Ingredients
Sauerkraut
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 1/2 lb sauerkraut, drained and briefly rinsed
- 1 large granny smith apple, peeled and coarsely grated
- 1/2 cup white wine, dry
- 2/3 cup water
- 6 juniper berries, lightly crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 lb 6 oz smoked pork loin (Kasseler), boneless canadian bacon, cut into 8 slices
Mash
- 2 1/4 lb russet potatoes, floury, peeled, in chunks
- 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp 2% milk, hot
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
To serve
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Steps
- Heat the oil in a wide casserole over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes, until soft and just golden.
- Add the sauerkraut, grated apple, wine, water, juniper, bay leaf and sugar. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice. Taste, and add a little water if it starts to catch.
- Lay the slices of Kasseler on top of the sauerkraut, overlapping if necessary. Cover and warm very gently for 15 to 20 minutes, until heated through (145°F), then let it rest off the heat for at least 3 minutes. It is already cured and smoked, so it needs warming, not cooking; boiling it dries it out.
- While the sauerkraut simmers, boil the potatoes in unsalted water for 15 to 20 minutes, until a knife slides through. Drain well and let them steam dry for a minute in the pot.
- Mash or press the potatoes, then stir in the hot milk, the butter and the nutmeg. Do not use a stick blender, which turns mash gluey. Season the mash at the end only if it needs it: the Kasseler and sauerkraut bring plenty of salt.
- Remove the bay leaf, spoon the sauerkraut onto warm plates, lay the Kasseler alongside, and serve with the mash and parsley. It keeps 4 days in the fridge; the Kasseler and sauerkraut freeze for 3 months.
Good to know
Is it very salty?
Kasseler and sauerkraut both are, which is why nothing is salted here except the mash, and that only if it needs it. Rinse the sauerkraut briefly and do not boil the Kasseler.
Can I leave out the wine?
Yes; use apple juice for a sweeter sauerkraut, or more water for a sharper one. Water comes out at about the same score.
Per
- Calories
- 89
- Protein
- (37%)
- 8 g
- Fat
- (22%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (42%)
- 10 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 403 mg
About 30% of the alcohol remains after cooking; the label counts only that.
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2487 kcal goes into the pot and 3158 g of ingredients comes out as about 2795 g of food: 89 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.