Wild Boar Shank with Sauerkraut Dumplings

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 Carrot
• 300 g celery root
• 0.5 stalk leek
• 1.2 kg wild boar shank (pre‑cooked and deboned)
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 1 tsp juniper berries
• Salt
• flour (for dredging)
• clarified butter (for frying)
• 1 Garlic clove
• 1 bay leaf
• 0.25 l dry red wine
• 500 ml wild stock
• 1 onion
• 80 g pork belly (Wammerl)
• 2 tbsp clarified butter
• 600 g sauerkraut (milchsauer fermented, vacuum packed)
• 200 ml dry white wine
• 1 tbsp juniper berries
• 2 Bay leaves
• 300 ml Vegetable broth
• 800 g waxy potatoes
• 1 tsp Cornstarch
• 4 tbsp butter
• 3 slices white bread
• 150 g flour
• 2 Eggs
• Salt
• a pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tbsp lingonberries
• 3 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• rosemary sprig (for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) fan‑forced. Wash, trim and dice the vegetables into about 1 cm cubes. Rinse and pat dry the wild boar shank. Crush peppercorns and juniper berries in a mortar and rub the meat with them and salt. Dredge in flour and sear in hot clarified butter on all sides until browned. Add the vegetable cubes and brown together.

2. 2.

   Peel the garlic clove, add it with the bay leaf, deglaze with red wine and wild stock. Cover and cook for about 1 hour, basting with stock periodically. For the sauerkraut, peel and finely dice an onion. Dice pork belly and sauté with onions and sauerkraut in hot clarified butter. Deglaze with white wine, add juniper berries in a spice sachet, bay leaves, and pour in vegetable broth.

3. 3.

   Simmer on low heat for 30–40 minutes until the kraut is tender. For the dumplings, boil peeled potatoes for about 25 minutes, then cool, peel and press through a potato ricer. Let cool. After an hour, open the pot lid and cook the meat another half hour, basting with stock.

4. 4.

   Bring a wide pot of salted water to a boil. Mix cold water with 1 tsp starch slurry, then add to boiling water. Melt butter, cut bread into cubes and toast in butter until golden brown. Combine mashed potatoes with flour and whisked eggs. Season with salt and nutmeg. Shape a test dumpling and drop into boiling water; if dough is too wet, add more flour.

5. 5.

   Wet hands slightly, form evenly sized dumplings, press bread cubes into the center and firm them together. Once all are shaped, place in boiling salted water, bring to boil and simmer for 15–20 minutes. Remove meat, season sauce with lingonberries, salt and pepper, thicken with optional starch slurry if desired, bring to a boil again and strain through a sieve.

6. 6.

   Remove dumplings with a slotted spoon. Arrange the meat on a platter with sauerkraut and dumplings. Garnish with chopped parsley and fresh rosemary sprigs; serve sauce separately.