Commentary by Joe Drozda and Bob Bley
We came up with this recipe because every Super Bowl party needs a platter of sandwiches that is expandable, tasty and easy. Looking for a more intense flavor, we made brats cooked in beer and special spices, served on kraut. To make the plate expandable for larger amounts of guests and for children, we cooked up some precooked stadium brats, and for the kids, apple chicken sausages. All the extra sausages should be browned in a separate skillet and placed on the bed of kraut as needed. The brats with kraut make a very satisfying sandwich if you crave German/Polish flavor Americanized. We love this dish served on poppy seed rolls with spicy mustard.
Ingredients:
1/8 teaspoon crushed celery seeds
1/8 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
1 heaping tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pound fresh Johnsonville Original Bratwurst
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle lager beer
32 oz. jar of Vlasic Polish Sauerkraut drained
Extra sausages – Johnsonville Stadium Style Cooked Brats and Johnsonville Apple Chicken Sausage Links (cooked)
Preparation:
Place bratwursts into a large nonstick skillet and brown each side gently over medium heat. Mix together beer and dry ingredients in a bowl making sure the brown sugar dissolves. Pour this mixture over the brats. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Uncover the skillet and raise heat to gently boil the sauce until it reduces to a thick, syrupy liquid, for about 15 minutes. Roll brats in the sticky sauce until thoroughly coated on all sides. Transfer brats to a platter and keep them warm. Add the sauerkraut and sour cream to the skillet and to mix with leftover sauce, stir fry 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer sauerkraut to a serving platter and top with cooked bratwurst.
The beauty of this recipe is that you can add more sausages until everyone has had his or her fill.
