Smoked Sausage, Sauerkraut, & Potatoes

This meal is an old favorite that my mom made for years. I mistakenly thought it was something only she made, silly girl! I made it for my husband shortly after we were married and he said his mom made (pretty much) the same recipe. There must be a 1960's cookbook out there with the original recipe, but I haven't found it yet.

Anyway, my mom would rinse the sauerkraut to get rid of the sourness and she would add way more brown sugar than I use, but we like it a bit on the sour side - it is sauerkraut after all! Also, she used regular smoked sausage, but I use skinless - we just prefer it that way.

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SMOKED SAUSAGE, SAUERKRAUT, POTATOES

1 package skinless smoked sausage (Eckrich or Hillshire Farms are good)
1 - 27 oz. can sauerkraut, drained well
8 small red or white potatoes
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup brown sugar

Pour the oil into a pressure cooker to coat the bottom. Add the sauerkraut, brown sugar, and water; stir well. Scrub the potatoes, then cut them into quarters and place on top of sauerkraut. Cut the sausage into 6 equal pieces and place on top of potatoes. Put the lid on the pressure cooker and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. Release steam before opening.
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I have a new pressure cooker that has a dial on top which I set to 1 when cooking this meal. My mom had an old school pressure cooker with a weight on top; when it would start jiggling she would then start timing the meal to cook for 20 minutes (it took about 10 minutes to get there). I can't wait to inherit my mom's old pressure cooker! But my dad loves this meal and makes it for himself, so I won't be getting it until he joins my mom in heaven.

The other great thing about this recipe is that you can easily double the recipe for a large family or party and it is pretty cheap, especially if you get the sausage in a 'buy one, get one free' sale. (If you do this you will have to add to the cooking time and add water.) If you prefer a sweeter meal, then you can rinse the sauerkraut or add more brown sugar or both (like my mom). I serve this meal with mustard, regular or spicy brown, to dip your sausage in for an added kick.

This is one of only two meals I make in my pressure cooker; the other is beef stew. I really should find more recipes for this wonderful contraption. If you have any that you love PLEASE share them! Thanks!

Happy eating!