09 Nov Mashed potato sauerkraut
From a Polish village…
I wish I could say that I found this recipe on my anthropological research journey around Poland, or at the very least from an ancient cookbook I discovered, but I actually learnt of it from this book by Sandor Katz. It is a brilliant book. As a result, all I know is that this sauerkraut is from some “Polish village”. After a bit of research (and also someone mentioning it in Instagram comments) I remembered the ciapkapusta dish from Śląsk, which is a cooked dish involving sauerkraut and mashed potato. Perhaps this is a fermented version of that, also from the said area? That would be my guess.
The experiment
I didn’t have an instructions for this experiment, so I just made it up as I went along. I was hoping to not have to top up the sauerkraut with extra brine, but the cabbage juice was immediately absorbed by the kraut, so I topped up a little. In the future, I may try without that extra brine, but I was worried that it might go mouldy. The mashed potato was covering the kraut and it was wet, but I didn’t quite trust that it was enough. I would love to know exactly where this recipe comes from and how they made it originally. Nevertheless, this method worked really well, within 3 days (in a cold room), the stuff was bubbling and squeaking. It also tasted delicious, slightly milder than the original, but a deeper flavour. The texture is improved by adding the mashed potato in my view.
How I eat it
Now that we’ve established that mashed potato sauerkraut works really well, here is how ate it today. Yes, this is my lunch it and if it looks like a strange mixture of Asian-Polish fusion, that’s because that’s exactly what it is. The pierogi were from my pierogi workshop and the filling is rice and lentil. The rice is fried with eggs, shallot and garlic.
I also plan to eat it in salads, stews and on top of cheese on toast and with cold cuts.
A recipe for mashed potato sauerkraut
This is a very simple, yet unusual recipe for mashed potato sauerkraut. All I know is that the original recipes comes from Poland, but if anyone has any more details, then would absolutely love to know.
Mashed potato sauerkraut
Cuisine: PolishDifficulty: Intermediate12
servingsAn experiment gone right – try adding mashed potato to your kraut to improve texture.
Ingredients
Half a white cabbage, shredded finely
1 medium potato, peeled and boiled
1 flat tablespoon good quality salt
40ml tepid water from pre-boiled kettle
Directions
- We start off by placing the kraut in a crock or ceramic bowl and massaging most of the salt into it, then tapping gently with a rolling pin for a few minutes.
- Place a plate into the crock/bowl and press it down a couple of times an hours. After 3 hours, add the mashed potato to the kraut and mix with a wooden spoon.
- Transfer this to the sterilised jar, it should fit snugly in.
- Mix the rest of the salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) into the tepid water, then pour over the top. Place the lid loosely on and leave at room temperature for 3 days. After this, you can eat it and store in the fridge.