Keep reading for an amazing Amish sausage and sauerkraut for New Year's recipe! Sausage and sauerkraut is one of those traditions that persist among the Amish and other cultures. This tradition is especially strong in Germany and since the Amish have strong German roots, I am not surprised the food tradition hangs on. Eating sauerkraut is supposed to bring good luck in the new year.
We are moving into 2022. What will 2022 hold?. An Amish woman I knew was once fond of uttering the words "Good thing we don't know the future." I think, at the time, I was too young for those words to have much resonance with me. But I know what she meant now. I mean, it is a good thing because, for the most part, there's probably little we can do to change it anyway. That's not totally true, I mean I truly believe we can control our destiny, but it's more difficult to change the destinies of others.
For me, 2022 will mark 31 years as editor of The Amish Cook column. That seems utterly insane to me. I was 18 years old when I launched the column with Old Order Amish grandmother, Elizabeth Coblentz. If you had told me back then that I'd still be doing this, in some form, 30 plus years later, I would have christened you crazy. But here I am.
The Quincy Herald-Whig in Quincy, Illinois remains the place where The Amish Cook has run the longest. But others like Kokomo, Indiana and Cincinnati, Ohio are not far behind. And we have newer subscribers like Monticello, Indiana and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
The newspaper industry has changed incredibly since 1991 and I'm not sure anyone knows where it will go from here. Newspapers have shrunk in size and more and more circulation is not measured by print copies but by digital page-views. The Amish Cook racks up more views each week online now than in print. Who would have thought?
So while Gloria takes a deserved week off, meantime, enjoy this New Year's favorite from the Yoders! Sauerkraut is a staple in Amish homes with the arrival of the New Year. You won't find most Amish people watching the ball the drop or jotting down resolutions. But will find them celebrating the New Year with food. And I heard tales of one elderly Amish man in the Berne, Indiana settlement who would blow on a conch seashell at the stroke of midnight sending out a loud, piercing bellow that spread out through the settlement.
Another way to celebrate is through this amazingly hearty and flavorful dish of sausage and sauerkraut. The custom of sauerkraut as good luck on New Year's Day cuts across cultures and the Amish is one that seems to enjoy popularity in
Fry the sausage in a big cast-iron skillet. If you don't have cast iron, use a stainless steel skillet. This is the part where you can season the sausage how you like. True to Amish tradition, this recipe has minimal seasonings, but this is where you can add some barbecue sauce, cinnamon, molasses, or anything else you want to flavor the dish. Or you can just stick with the tried and true recipe below.
After you are done frying the sausage, mix everything together in a big glass bowl until everything is well-combined. And then stick in the oven and bake for a good 4 or 5 hours at a low temperature, 275 degrees is perfect. The wonderful aroma will waft up through the house and, wow, you'll love it!
👨🍳Ingredients For Amish Sauerkraut and Sausage
- 1 pound bulk sausage
- 1 large can or bag sauerkraut
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 diced onion
- 1 cup ketchup
- In a large skillet brown the sausage.
- Mix the cooked sausage, sauerkraut, brown sugar, onion, and ketchup in a large bowl and pour into a casserole dish.
- Bake at 275 for 4-5 hours.
- Stir occasionally.
- You may want to add a little water to desired consistency.
🎊Other Amish New Year's Day Recipes
Here are some other recipes that the Amish celebrate the start of a calendar year!
This is super!
The above recipe is with an Amish recipe column, but trifle is also a traditional New Year's favorite!
🖨️Printer-Friendly Amish Sauerkraut and Sausage for New Year's
Amish Sauerkraut and Sausage For New Year's
Ingredients
- 1 pound sausage browned
- 1 bag or large can sauerkraut
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 cup ketchup
Instructions
- Brown sausage in a large saucepan
- Mix all ingredients, including the drained sausage, in a casserole dish.
- Bake at 275 for 4-5 hours
- Stir occasionally. You may want to add a little water to desired consistency.
hmchelen
Hello Kevin--I thought would let you know that the Greenville Daily News in Greenville MI runs your column about Gloria.
They are still running it and has been for many years. They also ran it when your one Amish Cook was on that passed away. That is how I first knew your writing then when got computer with internet found you on the internet. Now read you online. I also take Greenville Daily News online.
Wishing you and all your family a blessed 2018.
Helen Christensen
Shirley L. Snider
You mentioned going to a restaurant and just visiting. That is unfair to the restaurant and the servers. If it is a large group they could occupy a large table for a long period of time depriving the restaurant of serving many people. Restaurants should be for eating. If you want to visit, you should go some place else.
Shirley L. Snider
Kevin Williams
Fair point, Shirley...I don't think we ever lingered unreasonably. Usually, my grandpa would reserve a private room for us at a fancy hotel downtown and we'd all be able to visit, eat, linger, etc for Christmas. He'd pay for it all and in return, well, he and my grandma wouldn't have to get their house ready for 20 people...