My grandmother taught me how to make this before I was ten years old, and it’s been my favorite ever since. We would eat this at nearly every Christmas gathering. Her house was so warm and inviting—perfumed with sauerkraut! When I was really small, she’d have me stand on a step tool (which doubled as my chair at large family dinners, since I was the youngest and smallest) to watch her cook this, meticulously peeling the cabbage leaves so they wouldn’t tear. The rolls would then simmer away for hours, and waiting for them to be ready was almost unbearable: I would sit in my grandmother’s light blue chair, eating candy, while she sat next to me crocheting a blanket. She used Jimmy Dean pork sausage, so I make this dish a little differently—adding my own spices to the meat with some additional flavors to balance. Of course, you can just buy your favorite sausage. I like to serve this with creamy pickled cucumbers: my grandmother wouldn’t have one without the other, so neither do I. <br /> <br />If you don’t love sauerkraut, no worries: a beautiful rich tomato sauce is a great alternative. <br /> <br />Also, I encourage you to serve the cabbage rolls directly from your baking vessel. So if you’re aesthetically inclined, choose you’re wares accordingly! <br /> <br />Reprinted with permission from Kristen Kish Cooking by Clarkson Potter, copyright 2017.

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