Sauerkraut and Sausage over Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes:
- 2½ pounds russet potatoes, cut into large chunks
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded medium Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground pepper
- ½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 2 medium sweet onions, cut into wedges
- 5 peeled carrots, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 (32-ounce) jar sauerkraut, drained
- 2 cups apple juice
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
- 2 pounds smoked Ukraine or Polish sausage (2 rings or 8 links, 5 inches each)
- 8 (1-ounce) slices caraway Havarti or caraway Jack cheese
- ½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Instructions:
This recipe will definitely be going into your regular dinner rotation.
- For the mashed potatoes, in a 3-quart saucepan, boil the potatoes until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes; add the Cheddar cheese. Mash the potatoes until smooth. Stir in the milk, salt, pepper, and parsley. Spoon the potatoes into a 2-quart rectangular or oval casserole. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- For the sauerkraut and sausage, preheat the oven to 350°F. In a Dutch oven, combine the onions, carrots, sauerkraut, apple juice, caraway seeds, and pepper. Top with the sausage. Cover and bake for 1 hour.
- Bake the mashed potatoes in the same oven for 1 hour, to heat. Place the Havarti cheese over the sausages; continue baking until the cheese is melted. Stir in the parsley.
- To serve, spoon the mashed potatoes onto individual plates; top with sauerkraut and portions of sausage.