Choucroute Garnie (Alsatian Sauerkraut with Pork and Sausages)

Ingredients

• 1.5kg jarred or fresh sauerkraut, drained but not rinsed
• 100g pork lard or duck fat
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 juniper berries
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 500ml dry Alsatian Riesling or other dry white wine
• 500ml chicken or pork stock
• 1 smoked pork shoulder or ham hock, about 800g
• 400g slab bacon or pork belly, in one piece
• 6 Strasbourg-style sausages or frankfurters
• 4 Morteau or Montbéliard sausages, or substitute smoked kielbasa
• 6 medium waxy potatoes, peeled
• Dijon mustard, for serving

Before you cook

• Drain the sauerkraut in a colander, squeezing out excess liquid but leaving its tang intact rather than rinsing it away
• Slice the onions and mince the garlic
• Gather the juniper berries, peppercorns, cloves, and bay leaves into a small square of cheesecloth and tie into a bundle, or keep them loose to fish out later
• Peel the potatoes and hold them in a bowl of cold water so they don't discolor
• Cut the pork belly into 2 pieces if needed so it fits the pot

Steps

1. Melt the lard in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat
2. Add the sliced onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent but not browned
3. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant
4. Add the drained sauerkraut to the pot and stir to coat it in the fat and onions
5. Nestle the spice bundle, caraway seeds, smoked pork shoulder, and pork belly into the sauerkraut
6. Pour in the wine and enough stock to just barely cover the meat and kraut
7. Bring the pot to a simmer over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low
8. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 1 hour 30 minutes, checking once partway through to make sure the liquid hasn't dried out
9. Lift out the pork shoulder and pork belly onto a cutting board and let them rest
10. Nestle the whole peeled potatoes into the sauerkraut, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes
11. Lay the sausages on top of the sauerkraut, cover, and simmer for another 15 minutes, until heated through and plump
12. Slice the rested pork shoulder and pork belly into thick pieces
13. Fish out and discard the spice bundle and bay leaves
14. Mound the sauerkraut on a large platter and arrange the sliced pork, potatoes, and sausages on top
15. Serve immediately with Dijon mustard on the side