May isn’t really time for Oktoberfest, but my husband craves German food on a daily basis.  His roots are German and this kind of food is his “soul food.”  This is a recipe that has been passed down, translated and used by several generations in his family.  I’m now passing it down to you.

Be prepared- this recipe takes a bit of prep and foresight as the meat has to pickle in the juices for a few days before you cook it.

My husband made potato pancakes from scratch and surprised me and my mom!  They were absolutely delicious and they weren’t as hard as he expected.  You can find the recipe here.  He paired the dish with red cabbage and sauerkraut that were just warmed on the stove.

German Sauerbraten

Ingredients:

• 3-4 pounds beef roast
• 3 cups red wine
• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 1 celery, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon rosemary
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon pepper
• Package of gluten free ginger snaps

Directions:

• Place the roast into a plastic bag with all the ingredients.  Mix it up, close the bag and let sit in a bowl in the fridge for 4 days (or at least 2).  During this process, make sure you shake up the bag at least once a day to distribute the juices to cover the meat.
• After the four days, you’re ready to cook.  You now have two options- you can cook it on the stovetop for several hours, or you can put it in the crock pot.  I suggest the crock pot.  Take the meat and place it in the crockpot, then pour the marinade over it, vegetables and all.  Roughly crunch up 1/3-1/2 the package of ginger snaps and place in the crock pot, as well.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
• Remove the meat from the crock pot and place on a cutting board, covering with foil.  Scoop out the bay leaves and discard.  Pour the leftover juices and vegetables from the crock pot in a blender and blend until smooth, slowly adding the rest of the ginger snaps.  Slice the meat and serve with your favorite German sides!  Don’t forget to slather everything with sauce!