Delicious Choucroute Alsacienne
Sauerkraut dish with cured meat and potatoes
Experience the hearty and flavorful delight of Choucroute Alsacienne, a traditional Alsatian dish that brings together tender sauerkraut, smoky sausages, and succulent meats.
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Potatoes
Cabbage
French
Ingredients
Steps to make it
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Main Course
Recipe Cuisine:
French
Servings:
7 people
Preparation Time:
15 minutes
Cooking Time:
This recipe combines slow-cooked sauerkraut with an array of meats such as sausages, pork, and ham, resulting in a robust and satisfying dish. Infused with aromatic spices and served with tangy mustard, Choucroute Alsacienne offers a taste of the vibrant culinary heritage of the Alsace region in France.
Choucroute Alsacienne is a recipe from the French Alsace region consisting of sauerkraut cooked with sausage, cured meats, and potatoes.
Although it is known in the English-speaking world under its German name, sauerkraut, the finely cut fermented raw cabbage is also widely used throughout Eastern Europe. Through its twisted history, the Alsace region brought this dish to the attention of French chefs and Choucroute has since been adopted as a widely popular French winter dish. To add complexity, the term Choucroute in French is used to describe both the fermented cabbage and the dish itself...so be careful what you ask for!
There is no official recipe for this dish, so any sauerkraut cooked with meat and potatoes could technically qualify. However, there are several ingredients and recipes that are commonly expected for this dish.
The raw cabbage itself is usually cooked with a glass of Riesling or other dry white wine, with some onions and a few juniper seeds.
Traditional recipes call for three types of sausage: either Morteau sausage or Montbéliard sausage, Strasbourg sausage and Frankfurt sausage. Fatty smoked or salted cuts of pork also often form a part of choucroute garnie, including ham hocks, pork knuckles, shoulders, back bacon and slices of salt pork.
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs (1.3kg) of store-bought sauerkraut
- 1 lb (500g) of thick-sliced baked ham cut into 5 pieces
- 1 lb (500g) of Polish Kielbasa cut into 5 pieces
- 5 pieces of Vienna sausages
- 1 lb (500g) of medium gold potatoes (1-2 potatoes per person in case some want more potatoes)
- 1 cup (250ml) of chicken stock
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 juniper berries (optional)
- 2 tbsp of duck fat or preferred oil
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup of Riesling or Pinot Gris (for cooking)
- French Dijon mustard for serving
- 1 bottle of Riesling white wine (to drink with the meal)
Steps to make it:
© Copyrigh 2026 Laki Maikaʻi. All rights reserved.
Here is how to make it
- Rinse the sauerkraut in cold water and drain the excess water out. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan melt the duck fat and cook the onions and garlic until translucent. Add sauerkraut, peppers, juniper berries, bay leaves, chicken stock, and wine. Boil on high heat then lower the heat and let it simmer over low heat for about 8 minutes. Then add sliced ham, kielbasa, and Vienna sausages, and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes. Add more chicken stock as needed.
- In another pot boil the potatoes with a pinch of salt over medium to high heat until the potatoes are easily pierceable with a fork.
- To serve, divide sauerkraut into 5 plates and arrange the ham, kielbasa, and Vienna sausages on each plate. Serve with Riesling wine and baguette on the side.
© Copyrigh 2026 Laki Maikaʻi. All rights reserved.
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Nutritional information provided is an estimate only. Please consult the labels of ingredients you use for more accurate results. Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.
