POLISH KRAUTWICHES

WEEK ONE: RECIPES FOR DAYS WHEN YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE DOING A DARNED THING--ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH, NADA

It seems to me that there are two kinds of people in the world: those who love sauerkraut and can’t seem to get enough of it and those who think all sauerkraut should be drowned in the depths of the sea or at least thrown out on the nearest land-fill. If you are one of the former whose mouth waters at the very thought of sauerkraut, then this recipe is for you. If not, you can skip it and move on to something else. Sauerkraut is exactly what it says it is—sour. That’s because, as shredded cabbage, it has been fermenting in salt in a big vat for heaven only knows how long until it has reached the desired sourness and is ready to be devoured by sauerkraut-loving people who understand the mouth-watering capability a good sauerkraut dish can have. My Polish step-mother-in-law used to make the most heavenly sauerkraut and Polish sausage dish that ever was, but unfortunately I didn’t watch her make it or get her recipe before she passed away a few years ago.So this is my own creation which is similar to hers, but not quite the same. Also, I turned it into a sandwich to make it a bit easier to eat.

POLISH KRAUTWICHES

4 long Polish sausages cut into 1” diagonal slices

1 can sauerkraut, drained

¼ C. dill pickle relish

1 medium onion, chopped

1 C. shredded Swiss cheese

4 hard deli rolls

¼ C. Thousand Island salad dressing

Put the sausages, sauerkraut, pickle relish and onion into an oven-proof casserole dish and bake at 275̊ for 3 hours.

Spread the deli rolls with the salad dressing, pile with sausages and sauerkraut mixture and top with Swiss cheese. Or, if you prefer, you can spread garlic butter on the rolls and toast them face-down on a griddle before putting on the sausage/sauerkraut mixture. Either way is good. You can try it both ways and decide which one you and your family like the best.Serve with potato chips or potato salad and, of course, a big dill pickle on the side. Enjoy!