This one is kind of a German style dish like we used to get at a small gasthaus near the base at Lahr, when we were sent over there on Reforger and other QRF type scrambles. It was a cool little laid back place, where if your only Deutsch consisted of being able to order ein bier vom fass, käse, wurst, and Schwarzbrot, you were good to go, jumper. The staples of life. And if you had too much to drink, it was only a few marks for a small room and bed in the loft above. Owner had been a German paratrooper back in WWII, so we had a bit in common. He treated us like gold; said he was shot and wounded by Canadians and captured. Said it saved his life because not too much after that, his unit was bagged by the Russians. Anyways, we got a lot of free beer and food there. Good times.
I started trying to replicate the taste back at home; I have no idea how close this tastes to what we used to get at that gasthaus, that was over 30 years ago. I can't even remember the name of it on the menu back then. But there aren't leftovers very often when I make if for when we get in from a day hunting elk or pheasants.
I don't know how it ended up being named after my heart dog, Jäger. Possibly because he's a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon from a German line that was established here in Montana by Gerry Goode and his Griff, Fürst. Anyways, he earned the name Thunderfeet when he was a puppy, and he charged through the rest of his life. And mine - I eventually believed and still believe he could read my mind. I got him right after we had the tours in Somalia and Bosnia; I came home a quiet wreck, and he had my life back in order before his first birthday. I lost him ten years ago this August; still think of him and miss him almost every day. We still have his one daughter Kieren, The Little Beer Dog. So much like her Dad, but slowing down now as well.
So here's to you buddy:
Jäger's Griffon Hotpot
2 lbs. potatoes; peeled and diced
6 leeks; diced
3 tbsp. butter
1 large onion; coarsely chopped
1 bunch marjoram
3 cups chicken stock
1 bottle amber beer (I usually end up using Sleeman's)
12 sausages, bratwurst and chorizo; diced
10 cloves garlic
basil; to taste
This is a real ribsticker chowder/stew; the spicy taste comes from the sausage. Fast to whip together after a long day hunting. Serve with steaming hot crusty sourdough bread, big slabs of butter, and ice cold beer. This is not Jenny Craig style food...
Peel and dice potatoes to about sugarcube size. Discard the green parts of the leeks; cut the white parts across about the same size as the potatoes.
In a suitably sized pot combine the stock, beer, potatoes, leeks, butter, garlic, and marjoram. Don't use that "lite" **** beer, but you can use an extra cup of stock instead of beer if you like. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes.
Sometimes I throw a hint of fennel in, usually I never think of it.
Cut the sausages into pieces about the size of the potatoes. Don't buy greasy **** sausage in supermarkets that's mostly fat; find a butcher that makes real sausage, rather than something to get rid of fat trimmings in. Weisswurst and other types of firm sausage can be used, but this is a German style dish. Add the sausage pieces to the pot and simmer gently for another 20 minutes. Add more beer/chicken stock as required so that ingredients are just covered.
Serve and let others salt/pepper to their own taste.
Note that times are approximate, depending on how finely you dice your ingredients and how hot you simmer them. Cook the spuds too long and they'll get mushy, don't give them enough time and the sausage will not have cooked long enough to impart its' flavors to the hotpot.
As a rule of thumb, I dice everything in a dish like this small enough so that two or three pieces of what might be in the pot might end up on your spoon. You should also use the marjoram and basil to your taste, not mine. Remember, you can always put more in, but you can't take it out afterwards. I have found I can add spices/herbs as close as five minutes to the end of cooking and still get excellent results.
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