Easy Sauerkraut and Sausage

Bratwursts or kielbasa cooked with onions and sauerkraut, perfect for a quick dinner or lunch. It's great with mashed potatoes, cabbage, and lots of hot mustard... and a beer if'n you're of the age to be consuming such things. :D

Nothing too fancy in this one:

• 4 large or 8 small sausages of the kielbasa or bratwurst variety
• two good handfuls of sauerkraut (about 2 cups, I would guess)
• one large onion, sliced
• salt and pepper
• about a tablespoon of red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup water

You'll also need a large skillet to cook it in. :)

Heat a pan over medium heat, add a tiny bit of oil if you like, and cook the sausages for about five minutes or so. Stir them often so they get brown all over.

Cook them until they begin to get translucent and soft. :)

This will take another five minutes or so... make sure to stir them around quite often.

I typically add a pinch of salt and a good bit of pepper during this step in the cooking process.

How you process the sauerkraut in this step is up to you. Some people like to rinse then squeeze their sauerkraut, and some people choose to just squeeze out the excess liquid. I'm in the second category. It all depends on how strong you want the flavors to be.

Squeeze out the kraut (picture three will give you a good idea of just how much liquid is in there!) and put it into the skillet.

Add about 1/3 cup of water and the vinegar to the pan and mix well. Let cook on low heat, stirring often, until the water is mostly evaporated.

This step might seem unnecessary, but it's the delicious flavor step! The water will allow you to scrape all the yummy browned bits off the bottom of the pan, and simmering it all together lets the flavors meld.

I especially like this with mustard and boiled potatoes. Would also be good as a filling for a sandwich! :D

It also keeps well for a few days, so you could have a delicious but stinky lunch at work.