Choucroute is the French word for sauerkraut, and choucroute garni is the name of the Alsatian dish in which sauerkraut is cooked with wine, sausages and other savory meats. Here is a simplified version.

If you can find Morse’s wonderful fresh sauerkraut, made and packed in Waldoboro, great, but any good sauerkraut will do. I like to make this with cooked artisan chicken or turkey sausages flavored with apple or garlic or other seasonings. Red-skinned potatoes roasted with celery root are a perfect accompaniment, along with a spinach or other winter greens salad.

Choucroute Garni with Sausages

The climate of Alsace can be similar to that of Maine, so this dish transports itself beautifully across the ocean.

Serves 4

1½ pounds cooked pork or mixed meat-sausages

4 tablespoons light olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium-size sweet apple, cored and chopped

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 bay leaf, broken in half

12 ounces sauerkraut, rinsed and drained

¾ cup dry white wine

Freshly ground black pepper

Cut each sausage in half lengthwise. Heat the oil in a large skillet with a lid. Add sausages, cut sides down, and cook over medium-high heat until nicely browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn, add the onion and apple, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onion and apple are golden and sausages are browned on the second side, about 6 minutes.

Stir in caraway seeds, bay leaf, sauerkraut and wine, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. If there is too much liquid in the sauerkraut, cook uncovered for a few minutes to reduce and thicken. Season well with pepper and serve.

Roasted Potatoes and Celery Root

Celery root is my new passion, but if you can’t find it, simply substitute an equal quantity of potatoes.

Serves 4

1 pound red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 pound peeled celery root, cut into 1-inch chunks

4 peeled garlic cloves

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. On a shallow rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan, toss potatoes, celery root and garlic with the oil and spread out into an even layer. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring once or twice, until vegetables are tender and browned.

Brooke Dojny is author or co-author of more than a dozen cookbooks, most recently “Lobster!” (Storey, 2012). She lives on the Blue Hill peninsula, and can be contacted via Facebook at

facebook.com/brookedojny