Kielbasa and Sauerkraut
A Baltimore Thanksgiving tradition.
Ingredients
- 1 lb kielbasa sliced into coins
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic sliced
- 2 cups sauerkraut
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat some oil. Add the sausage, onion, garlic and seeds. Sauté until the onion is translucent and the sausage is browned on all sides.
- Add the sauerkraut and pepper and simmer and until hot, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately.
I know I have talked about this many times (I was even interviewed about it) but it’s been a tradition in Baltimore to serve sauerkraut on Thanksgiving thanks to a large influx of German immigrants. We always had it (Silver Floss, from a can) and I didn’t realize it wasn’t a typical Thanksgiving dish until I was pretty old. It goes really well with traditional Thanksgiving foods, it is awesome with cranberry sauce and cuts the heaviness of the meat and gravy.
This year since I was doing regional America themed Thanksgiving I knew I had to make sauerkraut. Over the years other Baltimoreans (especially the ones with Polish roots, including my own second cousin!) have told me their family always had it with kielbasa either on the side or more commonly, sliced up in the sauerkraut. Sounds good to me! If you really want to gild the lily, you can make your own sauerkraut I posted how to do this ten years ago but really good quality jarred, refrigerated, “fresh” or canned is really easy to come by in 2022. I also highly recommend a garlicky kielbasa from your friendly neighborhood Polish market but regular store bought works too. Don’t stress about this! Sauerkraut is a pretty dominate flavor.
