These brats are super easy to make and perfect for fall weather. Cook them for a Oktoberfest celebration or a tailgating party. Instead of serving them with German potato salad, I decided to do a loaded baked potato salad which again, is easy (and cheap.) I like a bit of heat in my food so I added a jalapeno to the pepper/onion mixture but you don’t have to. Depending on your likes and what’s on sale, you can sub red or yellow peppers for the green, or mix it up with several colors. The entire meal for a family of 4 came in at $7.39….my brats were on sale at King Soopers for $2.50 for a package of 7, I use store brand hot dog buns that cost $1.00 and I also used store brand bacon and mayo (which taste just as good as the name brand). When I buy potatoes and onions, I buy them in the bag which is usually the cheapest. If you have leftover baked potatoes, this salad is a perfect way to use them up. Even without the sale prices, this meal should come in under $10 but it does depend on what brands you buy. They sell hot dog buns for $2.50 that aren’t store brand so if those are what you choose, you will pay more. This week I bought my groceries at King Soopers and Albertsons. I bought my beer at Cheers Liquor Mart. You can use whatever beer you choose. The brats cook in the beer and then it gets tossed out. You could also sub chicken broth for the beer or whatever liquid you choose. (It will change-up the flavor.)
BEER BRATS WITH ONIONS & PEPPERS –
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4 for approx. $5.31
Ingredients:
- 4 Bratwurst
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
- 2 12 ounce beers (or chicken broth)
- 2 tbsp. Canola oil
- 4 hotdog buns
- mustard of your choice (I like horseradish mustard or spicy brown or actually, any type of mustard!)
Directions:
In medium soup pot, bring beer to boil over high heat. Add onions, peppers and brats to pot and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook sausage through, for about 15 minutes.
Once cooked, drain beer out. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add oil and warm for about a minute. Place brats on one side of skillet and the onion/pepper mixture on the other. Brown everything about 5 minutes, stirring and flipping occasionally until browned.
LOADED BAKED POTATO SALAD –
Total Time: about 10 minutes
Serves: 4 for approx. $2.08
Ingredients:
- 2 large baked potatoes, cooked and cubed (you can leave the peel on or off, depending on your preference)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 3 slices cooked bacon
- 2 ounces shredded cheddar
- 2 green onions, chopped
- dash of garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh chopped parsley for garnish, if desired
Toss all the ingredients together and mix. Create a gluten free version by checking sour cream and mayo label.