German · Authentic-ish German
Sauerbraten
409 kcal a serving, against 580 for the traditional version. That is 171 kcal off, or 29%, with 47g of protein. Serves 6. 5 days.
What the traditional version is
A hefty piece of braising beef left to soak in red wine, strong vinegar and spices for up to 7 days. Seared in a heavy pan with lard, then braised until it yields. The cooking liquor is aggressively sweetened, reduced, and heavily enriched with dairy to make a thick, glossy gravy.
What changed, and what each change costs
50g of lard and 100g of double cream down to 15g of vegetable oil and no dairy at all
Cutting the fat out of the gravy means you get the sharp, beefy tang of the marinade without the double cream dragging it down. The beef stock provides the body.
What it costs you. The sauce loses that velvety, opaque richness. It's thinner, sharper, and lacks the creamy mouthfeel of the original.
150g of brown sugar down to 20g
The traditional gravy is practically a syrup, designed to mask the strong vinegar. Dropping the sugar lets the acid punch through properly, while still taking the roughest edge off.
What it costs you. What you've got is a sour dish. A sweet dish anymore is a different dish and you know where to find it. If you have a sweet tooth, you'll miss the sticky, caramelised glaze.
Cooling the braise overnight to skim the fat
Braising beef gives off a lot of rendered fat when cooking for 3 hours. Chilling it hard in the fridge lets you lift that fat straight off the top in a solid disc.
What it costs you. Time and fridge space. You have to start this recipe 5 days before you want to eat it instead of 2 days.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 580 | 409 |
| Protein | 45.8g | 47g |
| Fat | 23g | 11.2g |
| Saturated fat | 10.3g | 3.5g |
| Carbohydrate | 35g | 16.6g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 7.9g | 11.5g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish German prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. celery, sulphites.
The method is in the book
The acidic, beefy sauce is punchy and sharp. Skipping the heavy dairy and excessive sugar makes this a proper meat dish rather than a dessert masquerading as dinner. The cornflour does enough to bind the gravy, and the overnight fat skim removes a massive amount of excess grease without losing any flavour. It takes patience, but the actual hands-on time is incredibly short. You'll get a brilliant return on your effort.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish German, along with 54 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.