FRESH HAM AND SAUERKRAUT RECIPES RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat the oil in soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the bacon and brown. Remove the bacon, and reserve. Add the ham and brown, then remove and reserve. Melt in the butter, and add the garlic, onions, potatoes, carrots and bay leaf. Partially cover and cook to soften, 10 minutes. Add the stock, 2 cups water, the reserved ham and bacon, the sauerkraut and beans, and simmer until potatoes are cooked and soup flavor combines, 15 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cool completely and store for a make-ahead meal.
• To serve, reheat over medium heat. Add the parsley just before serving and pass bread at the table.

Steps:

• Pierce potatoes in several places.
• Microwave on high (100 percent power), turning once or twice, until tender when pierced with a fork, about 8 minutes.
• Let cool completely.
• Put drained sauerkraut, ham, pickle, onions, dill, egg, mustard and salt into a large bowl.
• Mix well.
• Cut potatoes in half, then use a spoon to scoop the soft flesh into the bowl.
• Mash potatoes roughly with a fork. Mix well. Add flour and ¼ cup breadcrumbs; mix gently until incorporated.
• Shape 2 tablespoons of the mixture into a ball.
• Place on a nonstick baking sheet.
• Repeat to use the rest of the mixture.
• Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour or up to a day.
• Shortly before cooking, heat oven to 200 degrees.
• Pour ½ cup breadcrumbs into a shallow dish.
• Roll each ball in the crumbs to coat them on all sides.
• To cook, pour enough oil into a large nonstick skillet to reach a depth of about ¼ inch.
• Heat over medium until hot enough to smell but not at all smoking.
• Reduce heat to low.
• Add a single, uncrowded layer of the coated balls.
• Cook, turning frequently with tongs or a slotted spoon (I use silicon tongs so I can be gentle with my turning), until beautifully golden and crisp on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Adjust the heat under the pan to keep the balls from getting too dark.
• Transfer fritters carefully to a paper-towel lined tray.
• Set in the oven while you cook the other remaining balls.
• Transfer finished fritters to a platter; serve hot with the dipping sauce
• Mix 1/3 cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup sour cream, 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill.
• Makes: about ½ cup.
• This dip also goes well with crispy pretzels or the warm bready German-style pretzels sold in the freezer case.