Cheddar Brats with White Potatoes

I have to tell you that I was not a fan of Bratwurst but my husband comes from a very cold place where that is a very warm staple food item and he continues to ask me to make it.

So, I thought I’d try something and, Boom! I realize now what I may have been missing… The key to making a great tender, tasty (non-smoked) Brat is, 1 – Cooking it in a frying pan with water and 2 – Getting a brand that is stuffed with cheddar Cheese. What finished the meal is a side of pan-fried white potatoes.

Here is your shopping list:

1. 1 Package of Johnsonville Brats cheddar (about 5 links)

2. Three 15 oz cans of sliced white potatoes

3. Olive Oil

4. 3 Tbsp Butter

5. Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Brats: Take a large frying pan and fill with about ½ of water. Turn the heat up so that the water comes to a simmer. Add the brats and cover with a lid. Simmer for about three minutes on one side and then turn to simmer on the other side covered for about three minutes more. (you may have to add some more water). Remove the lid and lower the heat.

Continue to cook the brats until the water evaporates. Add a little more water just to keep the pan and brats from burning. Continue this process by turning the brats until they are nice and brown. I cooked mine on a gas stovetop and found that placing the brats around the edges cooked it more evenly. An electric top may be different. You may want to grill the brats but I found that this method makes is much more tender and the juices continue to absorb into the water and then back into the brats.

For the Potatoes: In a separate large frying pan heat the olive oil on medium. You will not be deep frying these potatoes so don’t put too much. Just enough to coat the bottom. Drain the canned potatoes and pat-dry with a paper towel.

You don’t want to add very wet potatoes to the pan as the olive oil will splatter. Spread the potatoes out evenly and season with salt and pepper. Let the potatoes brown lightly on one side (about three minutes) and then turn. Brown again on the other side. You will continue to turn a few times to get a nice crispiness to them.

Scrape the bottom of the pan and drizzle more oil as needed to keep from sticking. There is no need to cover the potatoes because they are already cooked. You just want to crisp them up just a bit. You will turn them about 3 or 4 times to get this result. On the final flip, add the butter and mix evenly throughout and cook a bit more.

This week’s fun fact: Did you know that the old German word Bratwurst has a double meaning? The word ‘wurst’ means sausage and the two interpretations of the word brat means ‘finely chopped or minced meat’ or ‘meat without waste.’ I can guarantee you there will be no wasted meat with this recipe!