Choucroute Garnie — Alsatian Sauerkraut with Meats

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg raw sauerkraut, unpasteurised, from a barrel or jar preferred
• 60 g goose fat, duck fat as an alternative; lard as a last resort
• 2 onions, sliced
• 300 ml dry Alsatian Riesling
• 200 ml chicken stock
• 1 bouquet garni, bay, thyme, and parsley
• 10 juniper berries
• 10 black peppercorns
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 smoked pork hock (kassler)
• 400 g smoked pork belly
• 2 Montbéliard sausages, pricked before adding
• 4 Strasbourg sausages
• 4 frankfurters
• 1 kg waxy potatoes, boiled in their skins
• To serve
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, served alongside
• 1 tbsp whole-grain mustard, served alongside
• 1 tbsp grated horseradish, served alongside

Method

1. 1
   Rinse the sauerkraut thoroughly under cold running water. Working in handfuls, squeeze it firmly to expel as much liquid as possible, then loosen the strands with your fingers. The kraut should be damp but not sodden, and its raw sharpness noticeably moderated.
2. 2
   In a large casserole or daub­ière, melt the goose fat over a moderate heat. Add the sliced onions and sweat them gently, without colouring, until entirely translucent and soft.
3. 3
   Add the sauerkraut to the casserole and turn it in the fat to coat the strands evenly. Pour in the Riesling and chicken stock. Add the bouquet garni, juniper berries, peppercorns, and garlic. Bury the smoked pork hock and the smoked pork belly deep within the kraut. Cover the casserole tightly. This is where the dish lives or dies: the fat must be sufficient, the wine generous, and the lid sealed — insufficient wine and fat produce dry, astringent kraut, while too loose a cover loses the aromatic steam that tames and perfumes the sauerkraut throughout the braise.
4. 4
   Transfer the casserole to an oven set at 150°C and braise for 2 to 2½ hours. At the 2-hour mark, the kraut should be golden from the goose fat, tender, and faintly — not harshly — tangy, with a pervasive scent of juniper and wine rising when the lid is lifted.
5. 5
   Thirty minutes before the end of braising, prick the Montbéliard sausages and nestle them into the kraut. Return the lid and continue braising. They are ready when firm to a gentle press and cooked through.
6. 6
   Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in their skins in well-salted water until a skewer passes through without resistance. Drain and keep warm.
7. 7
   Fifteen minutes before serving, add the Strasbourg sausages and frankfurters to the casserole. They require only heating through; prolonged cooking splits their skins and coarsens their texture. They are ready when plump and hot to the touch.
8. 8
   Remove the hock and belly. Slice both thickly. Mound the braised sauerkraut on a large, heated serving platter. Arrange the sliced hock, belly, Montbéliard sausages, Strasbourg sausages, and frankfurters over and around the kraut. Place the boiled potatoes around the perimeter. Serve immediately with Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, and grated horseradish alongside.