First post, first recipe!

Well, gotta start somewhere I suppose and so for my first post I present the recipe of what I prepared for dinner last night. A very simple, yet delicious, recipe!

Beer bratwurst

• 1 package of brats (your choice of brand)
• 12 ounce can of beer (again, your choice of which kind)
• 1/3 cup of beef broth
• 1 large onion
• juice from half of a small lemon (about 1 Tbs. of liquid)
• 1 Tbs. of dijon mustard
• 1 Tbs. of fennel seeds
• 2 Tbs. of olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbs. of olive oil and brown brats on one side, then flip. When brats are almost done on second side, reduce heat to medium-low and move to the side of skillet. Add second Tbs. of olive oil and add onions, season with salt and pepper. Sweat onions until translucent then add 3/4 of the can of beer (I don’t think I have to tell you what to do with the rest) and beef broth. Raise heat to medium and add dijon mustard, lemon juice and fennel seeds. Salt and pepper to taste again and let brats simmer in sauce uncovered for about 30 mins. After 30 minutes, remove brats and cover to keep warm. Raise heat to medium-high and let sauce reduce down till it just coats the onions. Serve on buns and enjoy!

Now, that was pretty painless wasn’t it? Next time I make this recipe though, I think I will add a little more mustard to the sauce (just a personal preference) but it was pretty darn tasty the way it was. The homemade steak fries I made on the side were really good too, here’s that recipe:

Homemade Steak Fries (serves 2-3 people)

• 2 large russett potatoes
• 3 Tbs. canola oil
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut potatoes to 1/2 inch wedges, coat with canola oil, place on baking sheet. Salt and pepper to taste….now I dunno about you, but I like my fries a little salty, so I added about a tablespoon of salt and a half tablespoon of pepper. I then sprinkled on garlic and onion powder (I actually don’t measure this either, 2 tsps a piece is a good estimate of how much I used though). Bake at 425 for 30 minutes then increase heat to 450°F for another 10 minutes or so, until fries are golden brown to your liking. I arranged my fries skin side down for the first 30 minutes then I put them on their side to brown up on the baking pan. Enjoy!

I actually put cheddar cheese on them yesterday, but that’s not necessary…they are very delicious just so! I also dipped them in ranch dressing…….mmmmmm, yummy!