5 Easy Ways to Use Your German Restaurant Leftovers
German-American restaurants are notorious for giving out huge portions and sometimes it's simply too much. Now... German food is also notorious for not tasting especially good the next day unless it's something stewy like goulash or paprikash. So with a little help from my friends, I've put together a list of 5 ways you can use your leftovers from the German restaurant to create something super tasty!
#1 - Leftover Spätzle with a Fried Egg - putting a fried egg on top of anything is one of my go-tos for leftovers, but it is especially tasty when it's put over a bed of spätzle. First I put the spätzle in the microwave for about 30 seconds and then finish it in a pan on the stove with a little bit of butter (or nothing if there is already butter on the spätzle from the restaurant). Once the little spätzles are crispy, put them in a bowl and in that same (now very hot pan) fry up that egg! Put over top of the spätzle, a little salt and pepper and mmmm.... I'm hungry already!
#2 - Leftover Sauerkraut Ruben - Got leftover sauerkraut that you don't know what to do with... not enough to feed the family, make sandwiches! A classic ruben is the perfect way to use leftover sauerkraut from last nights dinner at the Hofbräuhaus. Put a little butter on a slice of rye bread, schmeer on some thousand island dressing on the non-buttered side, add a slice of swiss cheese, corned beef or smoked butt, and your leftover sauerkraut. Top it off with another piece of rye bread, toast on the stove top like you would a grilled cheese and viola!
#3 - Schnitzel Parmesan - This recipe is courtesy of my friend Manny from Cleveland. He posted about how he used leftover chicken schnitzel to make a new dish... schnitzel parmesan! He reheated his schnitzel on the stove so that the breading remained crispy and put it over a bed of pasta with a tomato sauce. Then he topped with a fresh tomato slice and some melty mozzarella cheese. You can't tell me that doesn't look delicious!
#4 - Leberkäse & Roasted Potato Breakfast Skillet - Here I go again with the fried egg on top, but I can't help myself. Put your leftover roasted potatoes in a pan with a little olive oil. Chop your left over leberkäse into bite size chunks and once your potatoes are getting warm, add your leberkäse. I like to add in some onions, peppers, and spinach, (or whatever I have in the fridge) to the pan as well. In a separate pan, fry an egg. Once your skillet is just about done, sprinkle on some cheddar or munster cheese and transfer to a plate. Add your fried egg on top to finish it off and bada-bing bada-boom... you've got yourself a breakfast fit for King Ludwig himself!
#5 - Pork Shank Tacos - This one is all thanks to my mom... well I guess you could say all but Manny's recipes are thanks to my mom who taught me how to be resourceful in the kitchen... but anyway. She just made these the other night and they were delicious!!! Those pork shanks are always HUGE, so take that puppy home and then the next day, pick all the meat off the bones and chop it into smaller pieces. Toast 2 corn tortillas and place them on your plate. Heat up your pork meat on the stove so the fat crisps up a little and then place it on the tortilla. Top it off with some Pico de gallo, avocado, lettuce, etc and thats all! Lunch is served.
I hope you enjoyed these little recipes and ready to give German restaurant leftovers another try! Do you have some go-to recipes for German restaurant leftovers? Share them in the comments!!
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