Sizzled Bratwurst With Mashed Potatoes
Updated March 19, 2025
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2large russet potatoes, scrubbed and quartered (1¼ pounds)
- 4fully-cooked bratwurst, each pierced once with a knife (12 ounces; see Tip for using fresh bratwurst)
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½cup whole milk, warmed
- Pinch of grated nutmeg, preferably fresh
- Salt and black pepper
- Sauerkraut and German mustard, for serving (optional; see Tip)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
468 calories; 35 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 856 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Cook the potatoes: Add the potatoes to a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce the heat to simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Turn the heat off. Drain, then return the potatoes to the pot and cover to steam them until fluffy, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Step 2
While the potatoes are simmering, cook the bratwurst: Add the bratwurst, ¼ cup water and 1 tablespoon of butter to a medium skillet and bring to a simmer over high. Cover with a lid or sheet pan, then reduce the heat to continue simmering, flipping the bratwurst once halfway through, until they are plump and heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Step 3
Uncover, raise the heat to medium and continue cooking until the water evaporates and the bratwurst start sizzling in their own fat. Sear both sides until browned to your liking, 2 to 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Mash the potatoes: Using tongs, carefully remove the skins from the steamed potatoes. (The peels should slip right off.) Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the saucepan and whip the potatoes with an electric mixer or mash with a fork just until smooth. Gently stir in the milk and nutmeg, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover if the bratwurst are still sizzling.
- Step 5
Place the bratwurst and mashed potatoes on a plate, creating a small well in the potatoes to pour in the bratwurst fat from the pan. If serving sauerkraut, heat it in the empty skillet over low heat, stirring until warmed through, and serve alongside the bratwurst and potatoes with a squirt of mustard.
- Many grocery stores carry fully cooked bratwurst. Fresh bratwurst, which you can find in Germany and some butcher counters in the United States, are a dream to cook as well: Just make sure they are fully cooked through by adding 10 minutes to the steaming time in Step 2.
- Ranging in spiciness from sweet to very hot, German mustard is sharp, delicious and has a more straightforward mustard seed flavor than American yellow mustard or Dijon mustard (both of which are perfectly adequate substitutes). If you live near a German market or don’t mind placing an online order, consider adding German mustard to your condiments shelf. It ordinarily comes in a jar, but sometimes comes in a tube. Common brands include Löwensenf, Händlmaier and Thomy.
Private Notes
Comments
Just fry the bratwurst in a little bit of oil, no simmering in water. No German does this, except when you have Bockwurst or Wiener. And to the mashed potatoes: Peel the potatoes before boiling them. And please never ever use an electric mixer for mixing them or will end up with what the Germans call “Tapetenkleister” (wallpaper glue). Use a potato masher or a ricer. Add a generous pinch of nutmeg and salt, no pepper.
@Charlotte I don’t know how Margot would make Sauerkraut, but I use my Berliner mother’s technique of sautéing chopped onion and apple before adding the rinsed sauerkraut. She likes to add barley, but I don’t. I like to add caraway seeds and/or a little crispy bacon bits, but she doesn’t.
Substitutef applesauce, preferably unsweetened, for the sauerkraut and you'll have the classic Rheinland dish 'Himmel un Ääd' . Delicious!
Simple, fast and delicious. I used baby potatoes and Johnsonville brats since that is what was available, they were great and then some.
I have a little bit of dry white wine, can I boil the brats with this or will it taste weird? I know they're usually cooked with beer...
@Lauren Hicks ya gotta just go for it. That’s how we learn to cook
This is Sam Sifton’s brat recipe from about ten years ago: Get some bratwurst at the market, some smallish potatoes, a couple of onions and the same count of bell peppers of various hue. Heat the oven to 375. Cut the onions and potatoes into chunks, then seed the bell peppers and do the same. Toss in a bowl with a splash or two of neutral oil, then prick the brats all over with a sharp knife, add them to the bowl and toss again. Tip all that out onto a rimmed sheet pan, shower the ingredients with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and slide it into the oven for an hour or so, shaking the pan around occasionally until everything's golden and crisp and soft at once.
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