Cultural Corner: 3 Cookout-Friendly Recipes “Brat” to You by Germany

Summer is prime cookout season, but are you tired of the same old summer cookout food? Add a delicious German twist to your next cookout! Serve up grilled bratwursts with a German take on two cookout-favorite sides, and wash it all down with a good German beer. Get started with these three deliciously authentic German recipes:

Grilled German Bratwurst
These flavorful sausages will be the star of your cookout. Boost their flavor by bringing about 4 (12 oz.) cans of beer to a simmer in a saucepan. Add in a pound and a half of bratwursts and cook them for about 5 minutes. Lightly brush each sausage with oil and place on a preheated grill or indoor grill pan. Grill sausages on each side for a few minutes and remove them from the grill. Don’t forget to serve them with spicy mustard! Check out the original recipe here.

German Potato Salad
Mayo-haters will love this German potato salad recipe because of its vinegar base. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and carefully add about two pounds of baking potatoes that’ve been peeled and diced. Cook potatoes for about 10-15 minutes until they’re tender, but not falling apart. Keep them warm while assembling the other components. Next, fry about four slices of bacon in a deep skillet until crispy and then remove. Add one cup of chopped onions to the remaining grease and cook until browned. Add ¼ cup of white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar) to the skillet along with two tablespoons of water, three tablespoons of white sugar (optional) and salt and pepper to taste. Let mixture come to a boil and then add in potatoes, chopped fresh parsley, and about half of the crumbled bacon. Mash mixture together until it reaches the desired consistency (should have lumps). Chopped green onions are also a nice addition to the potato salad!

German Red Cabbage “Slaw”
While this dish is usually just referred to as German red cabbage, it does have a slaw-like quality that’s perfect for serving alongside grilled meats. Start by finely shredding a medium head of red cabbage. In a bowl, combine the finely shredded cabbage with about three to four chopped green onions. Bring ¾ cup white sugar, ¾ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 ½ teaspoon celery seed, and 1 ½ teaspoon salt to a boil in a saucepan. Then add ¾ cup of oil and bring the mixture back to a boil until all the sugar is dissolved. Pour vinegar mixture over cabbage and chill until you’re ready to serve it. Some recipes call for the addition of shredded carrots, thinly sliced apples, and even raisins.

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