German Sausage, Potato-Cauliflower Mash, and Sauerkraut

German sausage and sauerkraut is one of my favorite family recipes. I can remember grilling sausage outside on a warm April evening and eating them straight off the grill with warmed sauerkraut sitting next to my grandpa. 

He always drank a Guinness with it and we always had to have plenty of mustard. Most of his mustard ended up on his shirt, but who cares. He was having fun, enjoying food, drink, and life which was obvious from the smile on his mustard stained lips after each bite.

I don't mind sacrificing a shirt and a pair of pants for a great home cooked meal.

In order to "hot mess" the recipe I used mostly cauliflower instead of all mashed potatoes to add some more nutrients to the whole meal. The cauliflower added 4 grams of fiber to each serving and I didn't miss the potatoes at all. 


Even more surprising, my honey, the Lumberjack Meat and Potato-type, didn't miss them either. In fact he raved about it and went back for seconds with his mustard-stained lips smiling all the way to the kitchen.


Roasting it in the oven was fun and kept this a one-dish-wonder-meal. 

Grilling is great, but since I moved to Montana the weather this year isn't really cooperating so we are having to cook inside while the cold rain falls outside. No matter how the sausage is cooked the most important thing is that it gets slightly charred and crispy on the outside!

No exceptions! Dark, charred, blackened, and crispy. That's how the sausage should be! Then when you bite into it you get that juicy burst of hot goodness and a nice charcoal-icious crunch.


I know charcoal-icious isn't a word, but please bear with me. I make up words from time to time.

You can make the "smashed cauliflower" with anything any time you want. They can be paired with chicken, pork, fish, burgers. You get the point.

Okay, you ready? 

Let's get cookin' then! 

Bring on the recipe!

German Sausage, Potato and Cauliflower Mash, and Sauerkraut

1 Large Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 Head Cauliflower
1/2 Cup Fat Free Milk
1 tbsp. Plain Fat Free Yogurt
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Onion Salt
1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese; Shredded
1 Pound Keilbasa Sausage

Garnish: Enough Sauerkraut and mustard to make everyone happy


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat a large pot of water over high heat. Meanwhile, wash and dice the potatoes and cauliflower into small bite sized pieces. Add to the water and bring to a boil. Once boiling allow to bubble for 15-20 minutes. The potatoes and cauliflower should be soft enough to easily pierce with a fork.
3. Drain the water off the potatoes and cauliflower. Then add the milk, yogurt, nutmeg, onion salt, kosher salt, pepper, and shredded cheddar cheese. Mash together with a potato masher.
4. Once mashed, transfer the potatoes and cauliflower mash into the bottom of a 9 X 12 baking dish. Slice the sausage into 1 inch rounds. Then lay the sausage evenly over the top of the cauliflower mash. Place in the oven and allow to bake for 1 hour. The sausage should be browned on top and the casserole bubbling.
5. Heat some sauerkraut in a small sauce pan. Serve alongside or on top and make sure there's plenty of mustard around!


Servings: 6


Nutritional Skinny:

339 calories / 24 g fat / 16.8 g carbohydrates / 4.5 g fiber / 15.3 g protein


Mental Health Benefit: Cauliflower may be slightly expensive right now, but it's worth it nutritionally. It has only 25 calories per cup and no fat and packs a whopping 2.5 grams of fiber with it! It's amazing really! And when you mash it with milk, spices, and cheese you can't even tell that you aren't eating potatoes! It's brilliant! Oh, cauliflower how I love you so.