Armadillo Chops (Smoked)
Ingredients
1 tb Vegetable oil
4 Thick bacon slices, cut into 1/2 " pieces
2 md Onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 Garlic cloves, minced
8 Juniper berries, bruised
3 c Rinsed, drained sauerkraut
1 lg Red apple, peeled, quartered, cored and grated
1 Baking potato, peeled and grated
1 c Dry white wine
3/4 c Apple cider or juice
1/2 c Chicken broth or water
4 10-ounce 1-inch-thick smoked Armadillo chops
8 sm New potatoes
1 ts Minced fresh parsley
Coarse-grained mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until
crisp and golden brown. Transfer bacon to paper towels. Pour off all but 2
tablespoons fat from pot. Add onions and cook over medium heat until
translucent, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and
juniper berries and stir 2 minutes. Mix in sauerkraut, apple and grated
potato. Add wine, cider and enough broth just to cover sauerkraut. Bring
mixture to boil, stirring frequently. Add garni. Cover and simmer 1 hour,
stirring mixture occasionally.
If sauerkraut is too liquid, uncover and stir over medium-high heat to
reduce. Remove garni. Season sauerkraut with salt and pepper. Mix in bacon.
(Can be prepared one day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Spoon 2/3 of sauerkraut into shallow baking
dish just large enough to accommodate armadillo chops and new potatoes in
single layer. Arrange armadillo over sauerkraut. Spoon remaining sauerkraut
over. Cover tightly with foil. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead; chill. Bring
to room temperature before baking.) Bake until heated through, 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel narrow band from center of each new potato. Place potatoes
in large saucepan. Cover with cold salted water and bring to boil. Cover
and boil until potatoes are just tender, 15 to 20 minutes; drain.
Tuck potatoes into sauerkraut. Cover and bake 10 more minutes. Divide
sauerkraut, armadillo and potatoes among heated plates. Sprinkle potatoes
with parsley. Serve with mustard.
