Potato Sauerkraut Cake with Pears

Ingredients

• 2 onions
• 2 tbsp butter
• 500 g fresh sauerkraut
• 350 ml apple juice
• 1 tbsp caraway seeds
• 5 juniper berries
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 firm pears
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 150 g grated Bergkäse cheese
• 1.5 kg starchy potatoes
• Salt
• 2 onions
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 200 g Flour
• 1 tbsp Cornstarch
• pepper (ground)
• Nutmeg (freshly grated)
• 1 tsp dried marjoram

Instructions

1. 1.

   Peel and finely dice the onions. Sauté them in hot butter in a pot. Add the well-drained sauerkraut and apple juice. Add the spices, season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes. Remove from heat, strain into a sieve, let cool slightly, then remove juniper berries and bay leaf.

2. 2.

   Wash the potatoes and boil in salted water for 20-25 minutes. Preheat the oven to 140 °C fan. Dice the onions again and sauté them in 2 tbsp oil until golden; set aside. Drain the potatoes, spread on a baking tray, bake at 140 °C for about 5 minutes to steam off moisture. Remove the potatoes and raise the oven temperature to 200 °C fan.

3. 3.

   Peel the potatoes while still hot and press them into a large bowl with a potato masher. Whisk in the egg and yolks and pour over the mash. Add the onions, flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and marjoram; mix lightly to form a smooth dough. Grease another baking tray with remaining oil. Spread the dough onto the tray, roll out, and shape a small edge. Bake at medium rack for about 25 minutes.

4. 4.

   Wash the pears, quarter them, remove cores, and slice into thin strips. Wash thyme, shake dry, pluck leaves, and roughly chop. Mix pears and thyme with the sauerkraut.

5. 5.

   Take the potato dough from the oven, lower the temperature to 180 °C fan. Spread the sauerkraut over the dough and bake for another 25 minutes. Remove again, sprinkle cheese on top, and broil for 10 minutes until melted. Serve in pieces.

6. 6.

   Serve with a fresh salad.