Bratwurst Sandwich and Potato Crisps with Garlic Mayo

I'm already posting again? You can tell that today's my day off from work and that Phil isn't home, can't you? Well, after this I swear I will record and possibly even redo my webpage, something that really needs to be done. But I had such a yummy lunch that I just to share.

While perusing my normal collections of vegan food blogs, I realized to had almost all the ingredients to make Vegan Dad's bratwurst recipe that he just posted. I've been wanting to try one of his steamed sausage recipes, so I thought, why not! At first I considered going and getting some sauerkraut. In fact, I put on my coat and scarf and walked all the way downstairs, and even started to open the front gate-- then I thought I'd rather saute onions and bell peppers.

I also realized that I really wanted chips or fries to complement the sandwich. See, I'm a fried-potato-addict. One of the hardest steps in my "get healthy project" is walking past a bag of chips. Once Phil and I bought fries at 1 am and ate them in bed (gross, but great), then passed out immediately afterwards. So it's been a challenge to leave my best friend Fried-Potato behind.

So instead I made use of the 5 lbs of russet potatoes I had and made baked fries with virtually no oil (just some Pam on the pan) and a yummy mayo dip.


Bratwurst Sandwich For One!

Ingredients:

• one bratwurst from Vegan Dad's recipe (freeze or refrigerate the other five)
• half a small onion, sliced thinly into rings
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• half a red bed pepper, sliced into strips

Potato Crisps
Ingredients:

• 1-2 potatoes depending on size, sliced into fries-sized strips
• cooking spray such as Pam
• salt and pepper

Garlic Mayo (this makes a good amount, so feel free to cut it in half if you don't want to store it)
Ingredients:

• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 4 tbsp. vegan mayo
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. rice vinegar (not seasoned) or lemon juice
• 1 -2 tbsp. all natural ketchup

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare bratwurst and get them steaming (35 minutes).
3. Evenly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray, and lay the potato slices out so that they are all flat and touching the pan bottom. Wrap the garlic cloves in tin foil and place on the baking sheet with the potatoes. Bake for about 30 min, turning them halfway.
4. While the brats are steaming and the crisps are crisping, whisk all of the dip ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside and get your onions and bell peppers sliced.
5. When the brats are done, heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and bell peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add a bratwurst, covering it in the onions, and cook until the brat is browned and the onions and peppers are soft.
6. Lower the oven temp to 200 degrees. Leave the potatoes in to keep warm, but take out the tin foil packet of garlic, unwrap, and squeeze the roasted garlic directly into your dip. Give it a quick stir, and set aside.
7. Assemble your sandwich either by slicing the brat long-ways and putting it between two slices of whole grain bread with the onions and peppers, or use a hoagie roll. The dip is good on the sandwich, too! Remove the potatoes from the oven when you're ready for them, and drizzle some of the mayo on them.

Now it's time to be productive!