Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I love the weather, the colors and the celebrations. Maybe it’s my rich Germany family history, but Oktoberfest is a milestone every autumn.
I spent some time traveling through and living Germany in my life and it’s safe to say I have enjoyed a lot of German beer and plenty of sausage smothered in saurkraut (Get your mind out of the gutter. Sheesh!)
After spending time in Bavaria, I learned to love sauerkraut. There’s something so tasty about real Bavarian kraut – it lacks that traditional, well, sour, taste and instead is equally sweet and sour.
I’ve been working on this recipe for a while and I have to say I got a lot of help from my super amazing dad. His sauerkraut recipe was definitely the foundation my recipe is based on.
I start my Brats and Kraut with the brats. I brown each side in a skillet while the oven preheats.
I start my kraut by caramelizing the onions. The key to great caramelizing? BUTTER & SALT. I then add a can of sauerkraut to the oniony goodness. I chop up some green apples and add them to the pot with a bit of apple juice and beer. I top this off with a few shakes of caraway seeds (the secret ingredient!) and let it all simmer while the brats brown.
When the oven has preheated, I line the brats on the bottom of a casserole dish and layer the sauerkraut over top. Bake it for about 30 minutes or until the brats have cooked through.
The last 5 minutes of bake-time, toast your buns in the oven with the brats and kraut. Serve each brat with a heaping helping of sauerkraut and a little spicy brown mustard.
Is there anything better than that?!
Pour yourself your favorite Oktoberfest brew and shout Prost!
Happy Oktoberfest everyone!
Ally Jean Blog 
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