Decided to do something a bit different on this one, so we went to Oma’s house and had her teach us how she cooks her traditional German Wurst (Sausage) Platter!

Types of Wurst we used for the Wurst (Sausage) Platter

We used four different sausages for our video. We have a nice German deli in town that will import the sausages for a true experience.

Frankfurter Würstchen are basic wieners with more flavor from a slow smoking method. Very good and probably the closest thing to a hot dog that the kids love to eat.

Knackwurst are typically a bigger sausage, mostly pork based, and mixed with garlic for a richer flavor profile.

Weisswurst are a traditional Bavarian sausage made from veal and pork. They are a white color and usually feature flavors of parsley, lemon, mace, onions, ginger and cardamom.

Bratwurst are the most common of the sausages we use. These are traditionally pan-fried as they are often still raw versus the other sausages that are pre-cooked. Oma uses an egg bath then dips them in seasoned Italian bread crumbs before pan frying them in butter and oil. We actually got cooked bratwurst this time, but still made them this way.

The sides

Oma makes sauerkraut (still trying to get that recipe…) and boils potatoes when she puts this meal together. She makes a lumpy gravy out of the ham hock water and flour. I’ll talk about that under the how to!

It’s also great with our Red Cabbage!

We don’t like much on the side since the sausages are so filling and you want to be able to try all of them!

The Steps to Make the Sausage Platter Feast

The morning of the feast, place a smoked ham hock in a large sauce pan and cover with water. Course chop a yellow onion and place in the pan. Simmer for many hours until ready to cook the meal.

If you’re having potatoes as a side dish, place them in water and start them to boil. They will feel soft when poked with a fork when they are ready. Drain the water and serve them with lumpy gravy.

While potatoes are boiling, prepare the bratwurst, make an egg wash by whipping an egg with salt and pepper. Place Seasoned Italian Bread Crumbs on another plate. Dip the bratwurst in the egg wash then cover with the bread crumbs. Cook the bratwurst in a heavy fry pan with melted butter and olive oil. Turn the bratwurst to make sure they cook all the way through. Remember these are typically raw, so you need to make sure to cook them completely before eating them!

Remove the ham hock from the broth and place on your serving platter. Pull the meat from the bone and remove any skin and fat. The meat makes a nice compliment to the sausages.

Place the rest of the sausages in the ham hock broth and bring to a simmer. Because the sausages are already cooked, you’re just warming them up to serving temperature.

We like to serve them with a spicy mustard and some creamy horseradish.

Making the Gravy

Take 3-4 cups of the broth and place in a small sauce pan. Heat it to a simmer and mix with 1-2 cups of flour until thickened (start with maybe 1 cup and whisk in until still lumpy, let simmer for a few minutes then add more until thick enough to be gravy). You want lumps of flour still in the gravy for a more traditional experience.

Wurst (Sausage) Platter

Recipe by HeCooks4Me.comCourse: Beef, Entrees, Pork, RecipesCuisine: GermanDifficulty: Difficult

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

1268

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

One of my favorite meals. 4 different types of German Sausages with ham hock, potatoes and sauerkraut. Fantastic flavors make you wish for a German bier and an oompah band!

Ingredients

• 1 Smoked Ham Hock

• 1 Yellow Onion

• Sausages: 4 Bratwurst, 4 Knackwurst, 4 Weisswurst, 8 Frankfurters

• 3 Eggs

• Salt and Pepper

• Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs

• 1 Tbsp Butter

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

• 2 lbs Potatoes – peeled and quartered

• 2 cups Flour

• Sauerkraut

• Spicy Mustard and/or Creamy Horseradish

Directions

• Place a smoked ham hock in a large sauce pan and cover with water. Course chop a yellow onion and place in the pan. Simmer for many hours until ready to cook the meal.
• When you’re ready to cook, place potatoes in a pan, cover with water, and boil until they are soft
• While potatoes are cooking, prepare and egg wash by whipping the eggs with salt and pepper
• Melt butter and heat oil together in a heavy fry pan
• Dip Bratwurst in the egg wash and roll in bread crumbs. Place the bratwurst in the butter and oil to fry, turning to make sure they are cooked through.
• While potatoes and bratwurst are cooking, remove ham hock and place on serving platter. Remove skin and fat and shred to serving size pieces.
• Remove 3-4 cups of broth from the ham hock pan and place into a small sauce pan. Heat to a simmer and add a cup of flour. Whisk lightly to combine but allow to remain lumpy. Let simmer for a few minutes. Test for thickness and continue to add small (2-3 Tbsp at a time) amounts of flour until consistency is correct for gravy.
• Place other sausages in the remaining ham hock broth and simmer until they are heated through.
• Drain potatoes when they are soft to a fork and place in a serving bowl.
• Arrange sausages around ham hock (see picture for serving suggestion) and serve with sauerkraut, spicy mustard and creamy horseradish.

Recipe Video