Bitburger bratwurst balls with beery mashed potatoes

Recipe for 4 servings 

Total prep time: 70 minutes
Precooking prep time: 15 minutes
Barbecue/cooking time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

For the mashed potatoes:

600 g floury potatoes

1 red onion

6 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley

50 ml Bitburger Premium Pils

2 tbsp sour cream

Freshly ground sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

For the bratwurst balls:

4 fresh coarse bratwurst sausages, approx. 120 g each

2–3 tbsp olive oil

12 slices of bacon

100 ml BBQ sauce

100 ml beef stock

Equipment:

1 flameproof barbecue/cooking pot

1 cast-iron griddle pan

Preparation

1. Prepare the barbecue (approx. 180–200°C with lid) for medium to high indirect-direct heat. Preheat the griddle pan.

2. Rinse the potatoes under running water, pat them dry, and barbecue them over indirect heat for approx. 40 minutes. Peel and dice the onions. Clean the parsley, spin it dry, and finely chop, including the stalks. Add the diced onion, beer, and sour cream to the flameproof pot.

3. Slice into the sausages and remove the casing. Mix the sausage meat together and form into 12 little balls. Wrap each ball in a slice of bacon.

4. Remove the fully cooked potatoes from the barbecue and leave to cool slightly. Add a little oil to the pan and fry the balls on all sides for a few minutes over direct heat. Then deglaze with the stock, stir in the BBQ sauce, and continue barbecuing for another 5–8 minutes until cooked, occasionally basting the balls with the sauce.

5. Peel the potatoes, coarsely mash them in a bowl, and mix with the onion, beer, and sour cream. Portion up the mashed potatoes onto three plates, add three meat balls to each plate, and top with the sauce.