Bratwurst with Cabbage and Granny Smith Apple

I'm a little obsessed with sausage right now. We sell our Sugar & Salt products out of the case at The Swinery and they make fantastic sausages (at first I thought the price was too high for our budget, but now that I've tried them it's hard to go back to the cheaper ones). They make the best bratwurst I've ever had. And they make Bacon Brats. Since the grill is covered for the season, I've been trying to come up with an excuse, I mean a recipe, to use these brats. There's one more complication - I don't love sauerkraut. I don't hate it, but if I bought some and didn't use the whole container it would sit in my fridge until it went bad. Maybe it can't go bad, but still, my fridge is full of pickles, I can't have sauerkraut taking up space. So here's a recipe that uses brats, fresh cabbage, and an apple to make it more interesting. We had it with buttered egg noodles on the side, but it would be great with boiled potatoes too. And some good mustard, if you like that sort of thing.

Brats with Cabbage and Apple
serves 4

1 pound (usually 4) bratwurst, substitute pretty much any other German sausage
1 onion, sliced thin
1/2 a cabbage (about 4 cups), use green or purple or savoy or your favorite
2 T butter
2 t caraway seeds (optional)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 t mustard
1 Granny Smith Apple, grated

• In a large, high-sided frying pan brown the brats on both sides over medium heat. You may need to add a little oil depending on the fat content of the sausages. Set aside - no need to cook them through because they're going back in later.
• Melt the butter in the same pan and add the onion. Saute until it's very soft.
• Shred the cabbage as thin as you can and add it to the pan with the caraway. Saute for about 10 minutes - until the cabbage has softened.
• Turn the heat to medium-low and add the brats back to the pan with the vinegar, mustard and salt & pepper to taste. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Check in once during that time and add a splash of water if the pan seems dry.
• Add the apple and cook for 5 more minutes. If you like the liquid level in the pan, put the lid back on. If it seems too wet, leave the lid off.
• Serve with egg noodles or potatoes, dollops of sour cream and mustard, and maybe a sprinkle of parsley.