ALSATIAN CHOUCROUTE

Alsatian Choucroute image

One-Dish Sabbath meals like choucroute and pot-au-feu are for Alsatians what cholent is for Jews from eastern Europe. In the nineteenth century, the author Alexandre Weill mentioned the Sabbath lunch meal of his childhood, which included a dish of pearl barley or beans, choucroute, and kugel, made with mostly dried pear or plum. Choucroute with sausage and corned beef is also eaten at Purim and has particular significance. The way the sausage "hangs" in Alsatian butcher shops is a reminder of how the evil Haman, who wanted to kill all the Jews, was hanged. Sometimes Alsatians call the fat hunk of corned or smoked beef "the Haman." Michèle Weil, a doctor in Strasbourg, makes sauerkraut on Friday, lets it cool, and just reheats it for Saturday lunch. She varies her meal by adding pickelfleisch, duck confit, chicken or veal sausages, and sometimes smoked goose breast. You can make this dish as I have suggested, or vary the amounts and kinds of meats. Choucroute is a great winter party dish; the French will often eat it while watching rugby games on television. When you include the corned beef, you can most certainly feed a whole crowd.

Yield 8 to 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 26

Ingredients

2 pounds sauerkraut
2 tablespoons duck fat or vegetable oil
5 whole duck legs, cut into thighs and drumsticks
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and cut into large rounds
10 juniper berries, or 1/2 cup gin
6 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 cups dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth, plus more if necessary
12 small Red Bliss or Yukon Gold potatoes
5 garlic-chicken sausages, beef sausages, or hot dogs
One 3-to-4-pound corned beef (see preceding recipe)
Mustard or mustard sauce (recipe follows) as garnish
Horseradish as garnish
2 tablespoons strong French Dijon mustard
2/3 cup red-wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 scant cup peanut or safflower oil
2 large shallots, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 French cornichon or Russian gherkin, diced (optional)
(about 2 cups)

Steps:

Wash the sauerkraut in cold water, and drain. Wash and drain again, squeezing it to eliminate as much water as possible.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, and heat the duck fat or oil in a large ovenproof casserole.
Season the duck legs with salt and freshly ground pepper, and brown them on both sides. Remove the duck legs to a plate, leaving the duck fat that has accumulated in the pan. Add the onions, the garlic, and the carrots, and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Scatter the sauerkraut over the vegetables, and stir to incorporate. Tuck the duck legs into the sauerkraut, then add the juniper berries or gin, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Pour in the white wine and enough chicken broth almost to cover the sauerkraut. Bring to a boil on top of the stove, cover, and remove to the oven to cook for 2 hours, or until the liquid is absorbed by the sauerkraut.
While the sauerkraut is cooking, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water, and then peel. Sauté the sausages or hot dogs in a hot pan, or boil them for about 5 minutes.
Take the sauerkraut out of the oven and taste, adjusting the seasoning if necessary. Add the potatoes, sausages or hot dogs, and corned beef to the casserole, and return to the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Remove the corned beef and slice against the grain. Serve on a large platter with piles of sauerkraut, duck legs, sausages, corned beef slices, and potatoes, and with a variety of mustards or mustard sauce and horseradish alongside.
Put the mustard and the vinegar in a small bowl and stir together. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, and slowly whisk in the oil.
Just before serving, stir in the shallots, chives, parsley, and, if you like, the pickle.