Octoberfeast

Oktoberfest is a 16-day festival held each year in Munich, Germany. Originated in 1810 to commemorate the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Bavaria, it is reputed to be the world’s largest fair, with millions celebrating every year by troughing mass quantities of food and lager. Here are a couple of great recipes for your own Octoberfeast. VS

(Photos by Lynn Allen)

Chef/Owner John Poulos
Karl Ratzsch’s
320 E Mason Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414-276-2720

Karl Ratzsch’s celebrates its 105th birthday next year. Chef/owner John Poulos came on board in 1976 as a prep cook during his training at MATC’s culinary school. Many of the Southern German recipes go back to Mama Ratzch’s originals, like the renowned hot bacon salad dressing, the sauerbraten, wiener schnitzel, roast goose, stuffed pork chops and German potato salad.

Five years ago, with partners Tom Andera and Judy Hazard, Poulos bought the restaurant from the Ratzch family. Poulos has since tweaked the menu, adding appetizers and lighter fare.

His salmi recipe is the happy result of a mistake. Mr. Ratzch was roasting ducks and forgot about them, so they overcooked. He took bar olives and cherries and made a sauce with Burgundy wine. It’s been on the menu or run as a special ever since and is always featured at lunch and dinner on Saturdays.

A salmi, short for salmigondis, is a ragout of wild game, often featuring waterfowl plentiful during Wisconsin’s fall hunting season. You may also stalk down all the ingredients you need in the aisles of your grocery store.

6 duck shanks (8 to 10 ounces each)
Salt and pepper to taste
Granulated garlic to taste
2 onions, sliced
4 bay leaves
6 cups chicken stock
¼ cup honey
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2 cups frozen sour cherries, thawed
½ cup pimento olives, sliced
¼ cup Burgundy wine
½ cup cornstarch mixed in ½ cup cold water
Chicken base to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season shanks with salt, pepper and garlic. Put duck shanks skin side up in a 15-by-10-by-2-inch roasting pan and cook 40 minutes in the oven or until light brown in color. Add onions, bay leaves and stock. Cover with foil and roast in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove foil and baste. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Return to oven without covering. Cook 30 to 40 minutes longer, or until golden brown and the meat is tender.

Remove shanks and strain stock. Transfer strained stock to a saucepan. Add honey, brown sugar, cherries, olives and Burgundy. Bring to boil, then thicken with cornstarch and water mixture until the consistency of a medium-thick gravy.

Adjust seasoning of sauce with chicken base to enhance flavor, then return meat to roasting pan and top with sauce. Roast 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with wild rice and stuffing. Makes 3 servings.

Ms. Marcellyne C. Amann

Ms. Amann grew up in a large family of German and Irish heritage in Plane near Spring Green. “Farm life is hard work,” she says. “We milked the cows by hand; gathered and washed all the eggs. We husked and detasseled rows and rows and rows of corn and canned our own fruits and vegetables. Everyone had their job and we knew what we had to do so everything ran smoothly.” They never went to restaurants. With recipes like this one, which came from Ms. Amann’s mother-in-law, they surely ate better at home.

The Best German Potato Salad Ever

5 lb. potatoes
1 ½ cups water
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
2 t salt
2 medium onions, chopped
1 lb. bacon, cooked and chopped, reserving ½ cup fat
3 T flour

Boil potatoes in their jackets. Cool overnight. Peel and cut potatoes into bitesized pieces.

Fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and drain reserving 1/2-cup fat in the pan. Coarsely chop bacon. Add flour to fat, stirring until smooth. Add the water, sugar and vinegar. Stir sauce until it’s smooth and has a gravy-like thickness. In a large casserole dish, layer potatoes with onions, seasonings and chopped bacon pieces. Pour sauce over top and stir.