Hasenpfeffer mit Kartoffelpuffer

(German stewed rabbit)

Hasenpfeffer is German for "hare-pepper," or peppered hare, and is a famous game dish in Germany. Serve it with spätzle dumplings or with boiled or mashed potatoes and blaukraut (braised red cabbage).

Image by Whats4Eats

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• Rabbit, dressed and cut into serving pieces -- 3 pounds
• Salt and pepper -- to taste
• Flour -- 1/2 cup
• Bacon, diced -- 1/3 pound
• Shallots or onion, diced -- 5 shallots or 1 onion
• Garlic, minced -- 2 or 3 cloves
• Cognac or brandy -- 1/4 cup
• Beef broth -- 1 1/2 cups
• Red wine -- 1 cup
• Lemon, sliced 1/4-inch rounds -- 1
• Fresh thyme -- 1 sprig
• Fresh rosemary -- 1 small sprig
• Whole allspice berries -- 4
• Juniper berries -- 3
• Whole cloves -- 2
• Bay leaf -- 1
• Salt and pepper -- to taste
• Currant or grape jelly -- 1 tablespoon
• Butter -- 2 tablespoons
• Flour -- 1/4 cup

Method

1. Season the rabbit with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a large bowl and add the rabbit to the bowl, tossing the pieces to coat them with the flour. Shake off the excess flour and set the floured rabbit pieces aside.
2. Add the bacon to a large pot over medium-high heat and sauté to render its fat, 3-4 minutes. Add the shallots or onion and garlic and sauté until translucent and cooked through but not browned. Remove the bacon and shallots or onions to a bowl and set aside. Reserve some of the bacon fat in the pot.
3. Add more oil to the pot if necessary and return the pot to medium-high flame. Brown the rabbit a few pieces at a time on all sides and set aside.
4. Reduce heat to medium, and carefully add the cognac or brandy (it may flame up). Cook until its volume is reduced by about half.
5. Return the rabbit pieces to the pot and add the broth, wine, lemons, thyme, rosemary, allspice, juniper berries, cloves, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
6. While rabbit is cooking, knead the butter and flour together with your fingers to form a smooth dough. You will use this to thicken the sauce.
7. When the rabbit is cooked through and tender, remove it to a serving dish. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, discarding the solids. Stir the reserved bacon and shallots or onion back into the sauce. Add more stock or water if necessary to make about 2 cups.
8. Return sauce to a simmer on the stove and whisk a small piece of the butter and flour mixture into the sauce and return to a simmer. Keep whisking pieces into the sauce until it reaches a nice consistency. Adjust seasoning, pour the sauce over the rabbit and serve.

Variations

• If you can't find or don't have juniper berries, substitute gin for the cognac. Gin gets its flavor from juniper berries.
• Vinegar is sometimes used instead of the lemon to add a sour tang to the dish.

Kartoffelpuffer

German potato pancakes are a real treat and something Germans miss when they move away. Eating freshly made potato pancakes with applesauce in the out-of-doors at a weekly market or carneval is a wonderful way to do indulge. Now, you can also make them at home with this simple recipe for potato pancakes.

Serves 2, makes 4 large potato pancakes.
See larger image

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. potatoes (about 2 medium or 3 small Russets or other starchy potato)
• 1/2 onion
• 3/4 - 1 tsp. salt (start with a lower amount, you can add salt at the table)
• Ground pepper
• Freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 egg
• Oil for frying

Preparation:

Peel and grate potatoes. Place the grated potatoes in a clean dishcloth or cheesecloth and squeeze the liquid out of them into a bowl. Let the liquid stand a few minutes, then drain the liquid, leaving potato starch at the bottom of the bowl. Add the potatoes.
Grate the onion over the potatoes. Add dried onion flakes for part or all of the onion, if you like. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and egg. Mix thoroughly.
Heat oil in a frying pan. You can use a non-stick pan and just a few drops of oil, if you wish, but for best results use 1/8 to 1/4 inch of oil.
Using about 1/2 cup, drop the potato mixture into hot oil and flatten with the back of a spoon. Fry 4-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with applesauce and maybe a sprinkle of cinnamon.