Summer is almost here, and I am excited to get the grill out. One of my favorite things to grill are Brats that have been sitting in a beer marinade for a few hours. Also, the greatest summer side dish has to be potato salad. Here is how I do brats and potato salad:
If you’re just buying grocery store Brats, stick with Johnsonville. I always buy the spicy version, but the original works just fine. You want to open them up and poke several holes in each brat with a fork. This is going to allow the marinade to get through the casing. Put the brats in the brats in a large bowl, and add the following ingredients(this is assuming you are making one package of brats):
- 2 bottles of dark beer
- 1 half onion, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- A palm full of brown sugar
- Red pepper flakes (add as much as you like)
- A dash of Tabasco
- This is optional, but I always add a bit of Sriracha chili sauce. If you use a lot it gives brats more of an Asian flavor, which is odd to some people, but if you get the perfect amount in it creates a delicious flavor. I would add about a tablespoon, if i had to guess.
Let the brats sit in the marinade for about 2 hours, then throw on the grill. Trust me on this. These are amazing.
As for the potato salad, I like the mustard variety without a lot of crunch from peppers and other ingredients. I like the potatoes and the sauce to create the flavor.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 5 pounds potatoes, cooked
- 3 or 4 hard-boiled eggs
- 1/4 cup onion, minced
- 1 small jar pimento
- 3/4 cup sweet pickle relish
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 tsp. celery seed
- Paprika
- Mayonnaise
- Yellow mustard
Cook the potatoes in a large pot with enough water to cover while boiling. Don’t overcook them or they will fall apart. Place potatoes into a strainer. Peel and dice the them while they are still warm!
Add chopped eggs, and onions. Add pimento pickle relish, and celery seed. Add mayonnaise and yellow mustard to taste (approximately ½ cup mayonnaise and ¼ cup mustard). If potatoes are too watery at this point add less mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper to taste.
I usually do the taste test and add more of any of the ingredients if I feel the salad is lacking something
Place in serving bowl and sprinkle top with paprika. I always boil a few eggs, chop them up and place on top.
Cover and place in refrigerator until cold. Do not cover with aluminum foil; use plastic or glass instead. Foil will discolor eggs and possibly interact with mayonnaise.
There you have it, perfect potato salad.