German Sausages
Wurst

Put the wurst of the year behind you. This is perfect for the New Year—or any time of year, for that matter!

From the deli in your local grocery store or a specialty food store, select a variety of German wurst (see sidebar). Prick them with a fork first to release fat. Then boil, grill or fry them. 

Serve on a large platter, surrounded with warm sauerkraut and accompanied by different varieties of mustards (sweet, hot, coarse-grained, smooth), black bread, rye with caraway seeds, and white rolls. Add a bowl of German Potato Salad. Oh, and don’t forget the beer.

Tips & Glossary: German


Beets: how to peel and cook beets is a matter of personal preference. You can cut off the tops, peel them with a vegetable peeler and boil them. Another method: leave on about 1" of the tops, wrap them in foil, and bake for 1 hour in a 350 oven. Cool and use rubber gloves, or handle with a paper towel, to prevent hands from turning...well, beet-red. The skins will slip right off. Most cooks say baking- then-peeling is the tastiest way to cook beets.

Ginger:  dried ground ginger is far more potent than freshly-grated from the root.  Sweet dessert recipes call for ground powder. If you wish to use freshly grated ginger, use 6 times the amount of ground called for in the recipe. 

Nutmeg:  Use small whole nuts and store them, tightly covered, in a dry dark area.  Grate what you need using the smallest grating edge or grind in a food processor.  What a difference from store bought ground nutmeg!

Wurst: German sausages— more types than you can shake a stick at. Here are several:
• Bockwurst: smoked; with veal, chives & parsley.
• Bratwurst: pale; with veal, pork, ginger & nutmeg.
• Knockwurst: short & plump, smoked; with pork, beef & garlic.
• Weisswurst: "white"; with veal, pork, cream & eggs.
• Wienerwurst: with beef, pork, coriander & garlic.
• Frankfurter: smoked; with lean pork & bacon fat.