Hämmche met Kappes

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy lidded Dutch oven or deep braising pot
• •Potato masher
• •Tongs for lifting the knuckles

Instructions

1. 1

   Check the cure

   Rinse the cured pork knuckles under cold water and pat them dry. If the cure smells very strong or the butcher warns you they are heavily salted, soak them in cold water for 1 hour, changing the water once; the soak pulls excess salt from the surface so the final broth seasons the kraut instead of bullying it.

2. 2

   Start the pot

   Warm the lard in a heavy pot and soften the onions, carrot, and leek for 8 minutes without browning them hard. You want sweetness in the broth, not roasted bitterness. Add the bay, juniper, peppercorns, caraway, and the knuckles, then pour in enough water or unsalted stock to come two-thirds up the meat.

   Use unsalted stock if you use stock at all. The pork is already cured, and a salted stock leaves you no way back.
3. 3

   Simmer gently

   Bring the liquid just to a tremble, then cover the pot and lower the heat so it barely moves for about 2 hours. Do not boil it hard. Cured pork tightens when it is knocked around, while a quiet simmer gives the rind time to soften and lets the meat loosen from the bone.

4. 4

   Add the Kappes

   Lift the knuckles out to a plate. Stir the drained sauerkraut and grated apple into the pot, scraping the bottom so the cabbage sits in the pork broth. Put the knuckles back on top, cover, and cook 35 to 45 minutes more, until the meat pulls easily and the kraut tastes sour, salty, and rounded. Do not rinse the sauerkraut unless it is harsh; the acid is the reason the dish does not eat heavy.

5. 5

   Mash the potatoes

   While the kraut finishes, boil the potatoes in salted water until they fall apart at the point of a knife, then drain them well and let the dry heat leave the pot for a minute. Mash with warm milk, butter, and nutmeg. Warm milk keeps the mash loose, and floury potatoes take it in cleanly instead of turning slick.

6. 6

   Taste and serve

   Taste the cabbage and broth before adding salt, because the cure has been seasoning the pot from the first minute. Set a mound of Kappes on each plate, put the knuckle on top or carve the meat from the bone, and spoon over a little cooking liquor. Serve with mashed potatoes and sharp mustard. Nicht aus dem Glas, except the mustard, which may come from a proper jar and mind its business.

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for cured pork knuckle, gepoekelte Haxe or Eisbein, not a fresh roasting hock. Fresh pork makes a different dish, and the sauerkraut needs the cured meat's salt and pink depth.
• •Keep the pot below a boil. If the liquid jumps hard, the meat tightens and the rind stays stubborn, which is how a good knuckle turns into punishment.
• •Drain the sauerkraut but don't rinse it by habit. Taste first. A lively sour cabbage is the point of Kappes, and the apple rounds the acid without making it sweet.
• •Save the broth. Strain what is left, chill it, lift off excess fat, and use it for bean soup or potato soup. Weggeworfen wird nichts.

Advance Preparation

• •The knuckles can be simmered one day ahead through the first 2 hours, then cooled in their broth. The next day, lift off the firm fat, add the sauerkraut, and finish gently.
• •Mashed potatoes are best made close to serving, but peeled potatoes can sit covered in cold water for a few hours. Drain and cook them fresh so they mash dry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 850g)