CROCKTOBERFEST!

Ok, so I was just going on about how long it is until Thanksgiving, so I decided that I needed to focus on something more seasonally appropriate. Last weekend, when my roommate and I were visiting Sleepy Hollow, NY, and waiting for our tour of the Great Jack-o-Lantern Blaze, we had dinner at the delicious Umami Cafe.

We started with "small plates" (appetizers) of their signature truffled mac and cheese and some squash soup with candied pecans. Both were delicious, but I think the soup wanted a splash of cream. Maybe they were trying to keep it vegan? Or maybe I just think everything needs a splash of cream! Tee hee. For our entrees, Cyd had a Wagu beef burger with a truffle buttered bun, Fontina cheese, and sauteed mushrooms. It was quite good and perfectly cooked (medium rare), but clearly I chose best: bratwurst mit sauerkraut und rotkohl, mashed potatoes, and spicy German mustard. SEHR GUT!

When we got home to the Adirondack Region, Cyd insisted that I recreate that dish for us, and I managed to do it (say it with me now) in the crock pot! Thus, I am declaring this month: CROCKTOBERFEST! Here's how it went down:

Before work, I emptied a quart of my homemade sauerkraut into the crock pot, mixed in maybe a quarter teaspoon of black pepper, a teaspoon of granulated garlic, a generous tablespoon of brown sugar, and a bottle of Hefeweizen. Then I nestled eight German sausages (knockwurst and bratwurst) down under the sauerkraut mixture and let it cook all day on low. If I had had the time this morning, I would have also sliced an onion thinly and thrown it in there...perhaps some apples, too.

It was Cyd's job to make her wonderful mashed potatoes (I don't ask a lot of questions, but I know they involve a shload of butter), and I served it all with a dollop of the most AWESOME mustard that we got this summer at Raye's in Maine--their Winter Garden Blend with dill, garlic, and celery. YUM!!