Kalbsbratwurst mit Zwiebelsauce

Zwiebelsauce

• 40 g butter
• 4 onions, sliced
• 0 a pinch sugar, to help the onions colour
• 15 g flour
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 150 ml red wine, the traditional choice; bouillon also works
• 400 ml beef or veal bouillon
• 1 bay leaf
• 0 to taste marjoram and vinegar, a pinch of marjoram, a tsp of vinegar to lift

Sausages and serving

• 4 St. Galler Kalbsbratwurst
• 0 for the pan Bratbutter, only if pan-frying(optional)
• 0 to serve Rösti or Bürli
• 0 to serve crème fraîche, a spoon on the Rösti, optional(optional)

Build the Zwiebelsauce

1. 1

   Melt 40 g butter and cook 4 sliced onions over medium-low heat ~20 min until deep golden; a pinch of sugar helps them colour. Dust the onions with 15 g flour and cook 1 min, then stir in 1 tbsp tomato purée and toast it 1–2 min. Deglaze with 150 ml red wine, then add 400 ml bouillon and a bay leaf and reduce 10–15 min to a velvety, coating consistency. Season with salt, pepper, a pinch of marjoram and a teaspoon of vinegar to lift it.

   25mmedium-low

   The slow conversion of the onions from sharp to sweet is the whole sauce — give it the time; toast the tomato purée or the sauce tastes tinny.

   Slow Onion Sauce (Cebolada / Zwiebelsauce)

Cook the sausages and serve

1. 2

   The casing governs everything. On the grill or in the oven, NEVER score it — turn 4 sausages over medium heat (or 200 °C oven) ~10–15 min to a golden, taut, unbroken skin. Only if pan-frying do you score them lightly first, then cook gently in a little Bratbutter ~8–12 min so the casing doesn't burst. Either way, pull them at golden — emulsion sausages go from juicy to dry quickly.

   15mmedium

   Grill or oven: do not score. Only pan-frying calls for a light score.

   Cooking Veal Bratwurst (St. Galler Kalbsbratwurst)
2. 3

   Serve the sausages over the onion sauce with Rösti, or — the true St. Gallen way — with a crusty Bürli and, by tradition, no mustard, so the mild veal-and-nutmeg flavour comes through. A spoon of crème fraîche on the Rösti is a common, welcome touch.

   2m