Thursday Recipe - German Pork Roast

This is a semi-traditional one-dish meal that riffs off the German dish choucroute. I think. I've never made the traditional dish because I've never had all the ingredients in the same place at the same time. It requires sausages, pork ribs, other smoked meats that come from pigs, sauerkraut, and other stuff. It's tasty, but not what I had on hand.

I hope you enjoy this one. It's tender, flavorful, and easy. Plus, it only takes one roasting pan to make the whole dinner.

German Pork Roast

2-3 lb pork roast or thick-cut pork chops, bone-in or boneless, doesn't matter
1-2 lb potatoes, scrubbed and cut in big chunks, about 8 good-size ones
1 lb carrots, scrubbed and cut into big chunks, about 10-12
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
2 apples, cored and sliced, don't bother peeling them
2 c. good quality sauerkraut, not the canned stuff, go for a good bottled variety or the refrigerated stuff in the deli section
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

Place the pork roast in a large roasting pan or baking dish. If it has a fat layer, face that side up. Spread potatoes and carrots around the roast. Lay onions on top of the roast. Add apples over the top of that. Spread sauerkraut over the roast. Sprinkle salt over the meat and vegetables. Add pepper.

Bake at 400° F for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until roast is done and vegetables are tender. If you use chops or a flat roast, check after 45 minutes. A very thick roast or one with bones may take longer. Roast should no longer be pink in the center.

Let stand for 15 minutes after you remove it from the oven.  Slice the roast.

Serve with butter, salt, pepper, and sour cream as garnishes.