Microwave bratwurst with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes
Two juicy bratwursts with tangy sauerkraut and buttery mashed potatoes, a German beer-hall plate made in a bowl and a kettle for under three dollars.
- 18 min total
- 8 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 1
- About $2.82 a serving
- 810 calories
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 1 servings.
- 2 bratwurst
- ½ cup sauerkraut, drained
- ½ cup instant mashed potatoes
- 2 tsp butter
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
From your pantry
- ¾ cup water, divided
- 1 pinch salt
Each serving has about 810 calories, 33 g protein, 31 g carbs and 62 g fat, and costs about $2.82 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Prick each bratwurst 4 or 5 times with the fork and put them in a microwave-safe bowl with ¼ cup of the water.
Dolly’s tip: Pricking lets steam escape so the casings don’t burst open.Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Cover with a plate and microwave at 70% power for 3 minutes, then turn the bratwursts over.
Timer: 3 min
Cover again and microwave at 70% power 2 to 4 minutes more, until they’re firm and 160°F in the middle.
Timer: 3 min
Dolly’s tip: Break one open at the thickest point with the fork to check. Raw bratwurst needs cooking all the way through.Food safety: Raw pork sausage is done at 160°F and raw chicken or turkey sausage at 165°F. Precooked sausage just needs heating until hot all the way through.
Pour off the water, tuck the sauerkraut around the bratwursts, cover, and microwave 1 minute until hot.
Timer: 1 min
the rest of the water in the kettle.
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
Stir the potato flakes, butter, milk and salt into ½ cup of the hot water in a bowl until fluffy.
Dolly’s tip: Too stiff? Stir in more hot water a spoonful at a time.Pile the mashed potatoes on a plate with the bratwursts and sauerkraut, and add the mustard on the side for dipping.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
