German Cabbage and Kartoffelkroketten

So I might be a little obsessed with German food.  I know, I know.  Before I met my wife, I thought German food was all meat and potatoes and mushy vegetables.  And guess what?  I was right!  But who knew how delicious meat, potatoes, and mushy vegetables can be?

My wife's family comes from a small island in the North Sea.  I mean, they're practically from Denmark, but who knows the difference?  I had the pleasure of visiting this island a few years ago, and I ate very well.  It was springtime, and the lamb was absolutely the most tender and delicious thing you could hope to eat.  But every piece of lamb has to come with potatoes.  And while I was partial to Bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes with bacon and onion - what could go wrong?), I was especially intrigued by these deep fried potato puffs.  Intrigued because they seemed to be a fancied up version of what we Americans like to call tater tots.  But imagine the best tater tots possible, and you won't even come close to these little guys.

The second side dish I would like to discuss is cabbage.  I have never been a cabbage fan, so simmering it for hours with vinegar didn't seem like the greatest idea.  Wrong!  The right spices transform red cabbage into a sweet and sour comfort food, one that pairs extremely well with meat and potatoes.  Imagine that!  Red cabbage is one of those annoying vegetables you always end up with in your CSA box, and it inevitably sits in the crisper drawer for weeks, getting more and more soggy.  (Carrots also fall in this category.  More on them later.)  This is now my go-to cabbage recipe, and I look forward to seeing it in my box.  It's a great excuse to fry up some sausage and potatoes!

Kartoffelkroketten (Potato Croquettes)
Serves 4

1 1/2 lbs potatoes
4 T flour
1 egg, seperated
1 c breadcrumbs
2 T butter
1 t salt
oil

Chop up the potatoes into small pieces and boil in salty water until tender.  Drain the water, and press the potatoes through a ricer (or just mash up with a fork).  Add flour, egg yolk, butter, salt, and mash again until smooth.  Whisk the egg white in one bowl, and set up the breadcrumbs in another.

Heat about an inch of oil in a pan (about 350 degrees, or when breadcrumbs make it sizzle).  Make small balls of potato dough, and then shape into little cylinders.  One at a time, coat them with egg white and cover in breadcrumbs.  Fry croquettes until golden brown and drain on a paper towel.

German Cabbage
Serves 4

1 head red cabbage, cored and sliced
2 tart apples (I use Granny Smiths), cored and sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 1/2 c water
1 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 c sugar
1 T butter
1 t salt
pinch pepper
pinch allspice
pinch cloves

In a large pot, toss cabbage, apples, and onion.  Add water, vinegar, sugar, and butter.  Bring to a boil.  Add the spices, and simmer for about an hour, or until the cabbage is soft.  Make sure to check in the cabbage every once and a while, and add water if it is getting too low.  Adjust spices as needed to serve.