Without a load of manure

Ingredients for 16 servings:

• 2 ½ kg potatoes
• 2 kg smoked pork (comb)
• 2 onions
• 1 kg sauerkraut, not cooked
• 3 cloves garlic
• 50 ml oil
• 4 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp caraway powder

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 35 minutes

A farmer’s recipe from Upper Lusatia

Peel the potatoes and cut into pieces measuring approximately 1 x 1 x 2 cm. Finely chop the onions, then cut the smoked pork loin into pieces measuring approximately 15 x 15 mm. This takes care of most of the preparatory work. If you’re quick, you can cut the smoked pork loin while the potatoes are frying. I used waxy potatoes, and they take about 25 minutes. Use a large pan or fry the potatoes in batches with the onions and season with plenty of salt and caraway seeds to taste. Then put the potatoes in a bowl to free up a large cooking surface for frying the smoked pork cubes. Just before the end of cooking, add the finely diced garlic and fry everything over high heat for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly. In the meantime, open the sauerkraut and squeeze out the excess water. I only use sauerkraut that has been cooked for a short time. If using very fresh, uncooked cabbage, I recommend boiling it for about 5 minutes beforehand. Add the drained cabbage to the smoked pork and cook, stirring constantly, but do not overcook. Then drain any excess liquid, add the fried potatoes, and heat everything through again. Be careful with the heat settings. I’m constantly cooking large portions, so I usually cook at full steam. When cooking for a family, my temperature settings may be a bit too high.