Austria Day 3 Schweinebraten with kartoffelknodel and kraut

Yesterday our home was filled with the  most wonderful smell imaginable, Schweinebraten. My recipe comes from an old classic cookbook from 1959, Gourmet's Old Vienna Cookbook. I am a lover of old cookbooks anyhow, but this one is a real treat, 600 pages of Viennese history and recipes from very fancy to typical peasant meals.

I cooked my Schweinebraten differently than the they did back in 1959, I used my slow cooker and I highly recommend that you do too. It made it so simple.

Schweinebraten
I used a 4 pound boneless pork butt roast. In my slow cooker I lay 2 carrots and 2 chunked up onions. On top of that I sat my roast. I spread 3 cloves of minced garlic all over it, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 bay leaf, peppered and salt if desired. Add 1/2 cup of water to bottom of pot and 1/2 cup of white wine. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. If you are home while cooking it spoon the juices over the roast every once it awhile, it will help keep it moist and let the white wine penetrate the roast. Once the roast is done, remove onto a platter to rest.

To make the Sauce: Pour the juices through a seive and heat in a pan on the stove top.

 Add a little more wine if you need more sauce. Mix 2 T of flour w 2 T water until smooth and add to sauce to thicken it.

 Right before serving add 1 cup of sour cream to the pan and blend quickly.

Mix sour cream in quickly and remove from heat. This is wonderful gravy! 

According to my husband AND the Old Vienna Cookbook, the perfect accompaniment to Schweinebraten is kartoffelknodel and kraut. I have to agree.

Kartoffelknodel (Potato dumpling)

This is easier than you would imagine. First boil 4 large potatoes, or 8 small potatoes, whatever you have at home. Don't even bother to peel them. Once they are fork tender drain and then cool with cold water.

 Then slip off skins and put them into a bowl.

 Using a potato masher smash them finely. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour, stir and then 1 beaten egg. Salt and pepper as desired. With your hands knead it into a ball like dough, add more flour if too sticky.

 Put a pot of salted water on to boil. Shape dough into balls about the size of golfballs and drop them into the pot as you make them.

 Boil for 15 minutes. Sometimes they will float when they are done. Mine did, but I guess that is not always the case. Using a slotted spoon scoop them out onto your serving bowl.

Serve with Saurkraut.

 Tomorrow join us for Appfelstrudel!

Karen