Food stop: Saarland

Dibbelabbes

As the Saarlanders say, "Hauptsach gudd gess!"  Essentially, it means, 'we're fine as long as we have good food.' A saying I can totally get behind. Here's an example of some of that good food.

In the Saarland, one of the dishes they claim as their own is called Dibbelabbes. It sounds like gibberish, but it's pretty tasty and not so difficult to make. Essentially, it's like a giant hash brown with smoked bacon and green onion.  Why is it called Dibbelabbes? As far as I could find out, a Dibbel, is dialect for 'pot', which is what you cook it in. 

Ingredients:

1/2 lb smoked bacon or ham

2 green onions

1 medium onion

2 lbs potatoes

1 egg

1/2 cup chopped parsley

salt, pepper, marjoram, nutmeg

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375°F

Dice the bacon or ham and begin to fry it in a cast-iron pot. Finely chop the onion and green onions. Add them to the skillet with the meat and saute them until they are translucent. Set aside to cool.

Peel the raw potatoes and grate them into a cheesecloth, or dish cloth, and squeeze out the liquid. Add the potatoes, eggs to the skillet and mix together and season to taste. Cover the pot (or put it in a baking dish and cover) and put it in the oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If you want a crunchy top, remove the lid for the last 15min or so.

You can serve it with applesauce on the side. Guten Appetit!