I saw this package of Trader Joe’s “BAVARIAN BRATWURST” sausages the other day, and they looked worth trying for review. They were indeed worth it. These are just terrific, an excellent product that I would gladly buy again. The sausages come fully cooked so they only need browning about 4 minutes per side. It’s labeled PRODUCT OF GERMANY as well as NO NITRATES OR NITRITES (ie, uncured) – two big pluses obviously. Originally for Oktoberfest and though they look a bit like “Weisswurst” (sausages made from veal) these delicious TJ “Bavarian Bratwurst” are made from only pork, water and spices… and we are talking an impressive variety of spices blended perfectly for a unique, great flavor. It’s these well-balanced spices and perfect texture which make these sausages quite different from say, the flavor of your typical American “Brats” or other sausages. The spices include: black pepper, marjoram, nutmeg, mace, ginger, coriander, and cardamon. Reading this spice list sounded to me like typical Christmas spices…. so I thought this could be a nice meal around Xmas time (or Oktoberfest for that matter!) But of course these are great any time of the year if you see them.

What I did with these was grill them up in a little butter with sautéed potatoes and onions. I served this classic combination with some really nice red cabbage in a jar (from Poland) I had just happened to find in a 99 cents store (!) Bratwurst and Potatoes are of course perfect together and and this actually became a Christmas Eve dinner along with the red cabbage and some nice German beers plus bread and veggies. Everything matched up perfectly for a small German-style mini feast (recipe below). But if you want easy peasy simple these also great just grilled and put on a hot dog bun, brioche bun, crusty roll or baguette with some good mustard and sauerkraut. Classic! These sausages make an easy meal. A 12 oz package with 4 good size sausages goe for $3.99 (ie, $1 each). So another pretty good deal from TJ’s and more than worth your trying. When I first saw these it was Xmas season and was not sure if they are available all year or if they’ seasonal (Update: TJ’s seems to carry these sausages all year!)

If you cooked these on a grill in summertime, it would be a huge hit I would think. You could try them with potatoes as I did or go the Easy Route, just brown them and serve them with mustard, kraut and some good bread or buns.

A NO-RECIPE RECIPE: Cut up some Yukon Gold potatoes into cubes and par-boil them for 5-10 minutes in salted water till almost tender but not completely cooked. Drain them and sauté them with some onions in oil (with a little butter for extra flavor). Cook on medium heat, toss occasionally until golden brown on all sides. Make room in the center and grill the Bavarian Bratwurst 4 mins per side until browned. I slash them slightly before grilling. When done serve with good mustard. Cold beer would of course not be amiss with these Bavarian Bratwursts!

Trader Joe’s Artisan Bagels

Trader Joe’s Artisan Bagels:

These were a fairly recent addition I noticed in TJ’s BREADS area. They looked promising and so I had to try them.

Now of course Trader Joe’s sells many other kinds of bagels. I’ve bought the “The Bagel Spinoza” (with that weird picture with ’it bagels the mind’ as the motto… huh?) a few times but frankly found them to be seriously in the “Just OK”Department. As usual in many commercially factory made bagels, The Bagel Spinoza does not have anywhere near the real chewy texture and bite of the classic, true “New York Bagel”. Why? Well a real and true bagel is made by a rather unorthodox baking method of both, boiling and then baking it. Yes, you read that right…BOILING (bread). To make a true bagel, after the bagel is formed into the round shape which is best by hand, aka a ’Hand Rolled’ bagel, the raw dough is thrown into boiling water and first BOILED for a few minutes prior to being put in the oven and baked (sounds crazy maybe but seriously folks, that is exactly how real bagels are made ).

This classic technique is what makes a real bagel very chewy on the inside and slightly crusty on the outside, and what makes a really good bagel taste and feel so good to bite into, and so damn bagel-y delicious. The dual cooking process gives bagels a unique combination of chewy interior plus baked exterior.

Trader Joe’s Artisanal Bagels look like true real NY bagels, and it boldly states on the rather attractively designed bag, both “Kettle Boiled” and “Hand Shaped”. Not to mention the golden words: “BAKED IN NYC – baked fresh daily”. Naturally I had to try these babies. Guess what? They are damn fine, tasty bagels. Far better than your average store-bought bagels.

Personally unless I will be using them immediately, I usually freeze my bagels soon after buying them, cutting them in half first (carefully of course!) so they are easier to handle and faster to defrost after being frozen. I generally tend to toast my bagels in the a.m, and these TJ real bagels make for an excellent toasted bagel. TJ’s Artisanal Bagels come 3 in a bag, and they sell for $1.99, at least in my area, NYC. They come in a few varieties. I liked the “Everything bagel” which has poppy seeds, sesame seeds, garlic,and onion. You should definitely try these if they are available in your area; I’m not sure since they are “Baked in NYC” if they ship all over the country, but if you see them, try them.

FROM THE PACKAGE: “Made from scratch by experienced craftspeople, our Artisan Bagles are hand-rolled and kettle-boilded using the highest quality ingredients. Master bagel makers spend hours preparing the dough, hand shaping each bagel, then kettle-boiling in small batches, never taking shortcuts that might shortchange quality.”