Oktoberfest Potato Stacks

These festive and delicious Oktoberfest potato stacks are loaded with all the flavors you find in an Oktoberfest celebration: sauerkraut, smoked sausage, and beer-braised onions!

Oktoberfest Potato Stacks, a Little Bit Whimsical and Very Delicious!

There's something so fun and precious to me about Oktoberfest celebrations!

All of those that I've attended are simply full of glee, merriment and festive fun, the kind that good-naturedly celebrates a heritage and offers an opportunity to partake of tasty food and drink.

What could be better?

And often times, people love to hold their own Oktoberfest celebrations, ones where the beer is flowing abundantly and the salty, juicy and sizzling sausage is sputtering away, perhaps with a tangy side of sauerkraut and savory onions to accompany it.

And such festivity and food is what has inspired this particular offering of mine...

These whimsical little Oktoberfest potato stacks are a fun and delicious appetizer to pass around and enjoy for your own celebration, or simply because you're craving the tasty flavors of Oktoberfest!

The Flavors of Oktoberfest Piled onto Oktoberfest Potato Stacks

Here’s what I absolutely love about these cute little Oktoberfest potato stacks: that each and every bite has all the wonderful flavors of Oktoberfest—the sauerkraut, the smoked sausage, and the beer-braised onions—and that makes for some festive flavors for sure!

And while this recipe has several components in order to create those earthy, layered flavors, there’s really only a minimal amount of cooking required, and it’s totally easy-breeze to prepare.

Here are the steps for my Oktoberfest potato stacks:

1. Slice about three medium russet potatoes into twelve slices, about ½” thick; and drizzle a touch of olive oil, plus a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
2. Then, place the potatoes into the oven to roast until golden-brown and tender (about 40 minutes).
3. While the potato slices roast, add your sliced smoked sausage to a hot heavy-bottom pan to caramelize for a few minutes per side. When done, remove the sausage slices and add in the sliced onions to saute in the sausage drippings for about 12-15 minutes, or until the onions are caramelized and golden.
4. Once the onions are caramelized, pour in a touch of beer (a good German lager is perfect!), and allow the beer to reduce and coat the onions; now add the sausage back into the pan, and keep warm.
5. Have some sauerkraut ready in a little bowl, and set aside.
6. To assemble, top each roasted potato slice with the sausage, onions and sauerkraut.

These Oktoberfest potato stacks are sure to disappear fast because they're so tasty and so unique! (And, of course, they make wonderful savory companions to a good, ice-cold German beer!)

Tips and Tidbits for Oktoberfest Potato Stacks:

• Simple smoked sausage: Because of how easy it is to slice and brown beef smoked sausage (not to mention how flavorful it is), I like to use that for this recipe. However, you can certainly use bratwurst, or your preferred kind of sausage.
• Russet potatoes: I like russet potatoes for these stacks because they're sturdy to pick up and they yield a nice large slice; they also have a great potato flavor, and a bit more starch, so they can stand up to the sauerkraut and the beer-sautéed onions and sausage.
• Use good beer: I love a nice German lager to add into the onions to finish them off, but your favorite kind will be just fine. Alternatively, you can omit the beer altogether if you prefer.
• Prep ahead: The beer-braised onion and sausage mixture can be prepped the day before and simply reheated in a pan when you're ready to make the potato stacks. You would simply roast your potato slices and add your sauerkraut to a bowl the day of.

Feast your eyes on these, or just jump to the recipe:

Recipe

Oktoberfest Potato Stacks

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These Oktoberfest potato stacks are topped with sauerkraut, smoked sausage and beer-braised onions for loads of savory, festive flavor in each bite!

Yield: 12 potato stacks

Nutrition Info: 98 calories per potato stack

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes (to roast potato slices)

Ingredients:

• 3 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed clean, narrower ends cuts off, and sliced into 12 (½” thick) slices
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 6 ounces beef smoked sausage, sliced into 24 fairly thin slices
• 2 small onions, sliced thinly
• ½ cup lager beer (or your preferred variety)
• ¾ cup sauerkraut, drained of juices
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Preparation:

-Preheat your oven to 400°, and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.

-Place your potato slices in a bowl, and drizzle with a small amount (about 2 teaspoons) of the olive oil, plus a good sprinkle of salt and black pepper; place the potatoes in a single layer into the oven to roast for about 40 minutes, or until slightly golden and tender (I flip mine over half-way through the roasting.)

-While the potatoes roast, place a cast-iron skillet or other heavy-bottom pan over high heat, and drizzle in a small amount of the olive oil (about 1-2 teaspoons); once hot, add in the sliced sausage and caramelize for a few minutes until golden, then remove from the pan for a moment.

-Into that same hot skillet, add in a touch more oil (if needed) and the sliced onions, along with a pinch of salt and pepper; stirring frequently, allow the onions to caramelize and become golden-brown and soft, about 12-15 minutes.

-Once soft and caramelized, pour in the beer and allow it to bubble up and reduce down until the onions become slightly sticky, about 1 minute or so; add the sliced sausage back in and stir it in to combine.

-To assemble your Oktoberfest potato stacks, place your potato slices onto a serving board or platter, and top each one with either about 1 tablespoon of the sauerkraut, next a couple of the sausage slices, then some of the beer-braised onions, or, first the sausage and onions, followed by the sauerkraut.

-Sprinkle over some parsley, and serve!

For more delicious, Oktoberfest-inspired recipes, check out this Oktoberfest Stew with Lager, and these Oktoberfest Potato Skins!