kraut inspired: sweet potato fries and apple sausage...

Have you ever been grocery shopping, spy something that isn't on your list and are immediately inspired with a new recipe? That happened to me recently when I spotted a jar of sauerkraut. I know, it surprised me too because the first time I tried it was at our Oktoberfest this year.

I grabbed the jar, scooped up some sweet potatoes, chicken apple sausage, wheat buns and this meal was born: 

Not to toot my own horn, but OMG it was so good.  

I made the sweet potato fries myself. The recipe is really simple: 

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into the fry shape you desire
• 4 Tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, chili powder, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add in the sweet potatoes and mix until they are coated. Then spread them evenly in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of brown sugar and 1 tsp of salt over the top. Put in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove, flip the fries and sprinkle the remaining brown sugar over the top. Cook for 20 more minutes. flipping the fries once more after 10 minutes. I put them under the broiler for a couple minutes at the end to crisp them up a bit. 

Cook the sausage with the cover on. I just couldn't get a good photo of the pan with the cover on. 

As I approached the last 10 minutes of the potato cooking time, I added the sauerkraut to a pot and heated it over medium. Then I added my chicken sausage to 1/2 inch of water in a covered saucepan and cooked them for 6-8 minutes until they were heated through. 

When the potatoes finished cooking, I set them aside to cool for a few minutes and put the buns under a low broiler to toast them a little. I combined a little honey and mustard to create... wait for it.... honey mustard dipping sauce for the fries. 

Then we plated it up and enjoyed a delicious meal. It was super easy, pretty low fat compared to regular sausage and white potatoes, and in my opinion, even tastier. Who would have thought a jar of kraut would end up creating a new dinnertime staple in our house!