Peggy Lampman's Saturday dinnerFeed: German sausages & applekraut

I have never purchased a supermarket tabloid in my life. I admit I've furtively scanned some of the more lurid headlines while waiting my turn at check-out, but I would never allow my hand to pull one of those "rags" from the rack. Until yesterday.

There was an irritating price check in line 4 and I had plenty of time to kill. One discardable headline proclaimed a very famous woman, I won't name names, was jealous of her teenage daughter. This diva of divas was not allowing the girl to style her hair. Apparently she was jealous of her daughter and fearful of the competition. Ick! Then, I guiltily remembered my own envy when reading my daughter's latest e-mail update. I checked my back to make sure no one was watching, then grabbed the magazine.

I know it's not October but in Germany Octoberfest is being celebrated at this very minute. My daughter, Greta, is there now, chomping on bratwurst and weiswurst and, though she won't admit it, swilling them down with a pint of freshly tapped Octoberfest beer. Greta messaged in detail the crackling juiciness of the brat she was savoring in a beer garden in Munich. My taste buds quivered and I could feel that sour feeling of jealousy well in the pit of my stomach.

I did not purchase the questionable rag. I guiltily returned it to the rack, dog-eared by other accidental voyeurs, and wheeled my cart to the car. But the unsettling feeling of familial envy increased on the drive home. I switched directions and drove to Kerrytown, landing at Bob Sparrow's meat counter. Bob was pleased to wrap some freshly made brats and weis I could grill for my plate, too.

As Octoberfest beer is to Munich, so are the unique locally brewed beers to Michigan. I've been drinking Short's Brewery Huma Lupa Licious lately and its slightly bitter flavor balances the sweetness of the apples and brown sugar in this yummy kraut recipe. I'll finish the remainder of the beer with my sausages and applekraut, dining (envy-free) in cyberland with my daughter. Prost!

Yield: 4-6 servings Time: 35 minutes Cost: About $14

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter or canola oil 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 small fresh Michigan red apples,washed, cored then thinly sliced 1/4 cup German or micro-brewed beer 4 cups sauerkraut (not from a can), rinsed 2 teaspoons caraway seeds 6 assorted freshly made, uncooked German sausages, such as bratwurst, weiswurst and knockwurst Course ground mustard

Directions 1. In a large sautÃ© pan over medium low heat, heat butter or oil. Add onions to pan and sautÃ© with brown sugar and a pinch of kosher salt 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 2. Raise heat to high, then deglaze pan with 1/4 cup beer. Stir, let reduce a minute, then add sliced apples to the onion mixture. Simmer an additional 10 minutes. Stir in rinsed sauerkraut and caraway seeds and heat sauerkraut. 3. Meanwhile, prepare a gas or charcoal grill to high heat or heat a large sautÃ© pan to medium high heat. Oil rack and grill sausages, or cook in pan, covered, 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through (165Ëš degrees), turning sausages to evenly cook. Do not pierce sausages while cooking as that will cause them to drain savory juices and become dry. 4. Serve sausages over applekraut, passing mustard.

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