This is bratwurst without a bun.
I forgot to buy mustard. I never made mustard condiment before so I went with instinct.
The dull light-brown mustard powder scooped out of the bulk spice jars at Whole Foods and brought home then and mixed with plain white vinegar and water turns out to be the best mustard I have ever tasted in my life. It is simply outstanding. A tiny taste confuses at first because sweetness comes across immediately. And then the isothiocyanates kick in and Yoza! right on the side of the tongue arises a horseradish-y burn that is very strong, but without the sinus flush of Chinese mustard or of wasabi or of regular horseradish. I added nothing sweet and no horseradish at all and yet those two flavors come across directly and powerfully and the effect is mesmerizing.
I would say that it tastes like Dijon-style mustard except a lot stronger and better.
* Four level tablespoons mustard powder from Whole Foods Bulk spices.
* Three tablespoons plain white vinegar. Two tablespoons filtered water. The powder continued to absorb water for an hour or so. Additional filtered water added by the tablespoon until the thickness settled, actually, I am not certain it has completely stopped absorbing. It might need to be thinned again.
I do not know how mustard from the regular spice rack would work but I am going to go right back there to Whole Foods and get a lot more of this mustard powder and make more of this mustard condiment. I am amazed how well this worked. And do you know what? This is causing me to experience confirmation bias again. I already concluded that food companies convinced a busy and unsuspecting public that their guild alone are keepers of the alchemy and high science of mustard. Of course it is nonsense and all this time my mustard could have been awesome had I not accepted that bogus message myself. Conversely, had it not worked then it would not have affected my bias one way or the other because that is how confirmation bias works. *smugs*
I have also uncovered the final mystery of perfect French fries and for this no award bestowed upon me can match my own satisfaction. * smugs again* These potatoes were parboiled in salted water that was acidified with vinegar and then the fries were frozen. I think the acid toughens the surface of the fries while allowing the interior to blow apart and go fluffy in the final oil fry. These finished fries are what I was aiming for. Firm crisp fried exterior that stayed that way for more than a few minutes out of the oil and soft fluffy interior, the perfect combination of two textural delights. They would be even better had I cut broader fries because when the starchy interior blows apart it really blows apart and these thinly cut fries had hardly any interior to them to blow. Taken together I suppose these extremes, boiling water, acid, freezing, hot oil, are among the most violent treatments that a potato would undergo.
The sauerkraut is the type that comes in a plastic bag, but only because I did not want to bring home another huge jar. I considered rinsing the sauerkraut. Tasted it. Decided it was not too salty and not overly vinegary but it could use some cracked black pepper and whole fennel seed. It is very good.
Salted water with cider vinegar added ↑. Boiled lightly for six to eight minutes. Not completely done but almost.
Frozen ↓.
Fries in oil not shown.
Frozen fries with a thin ice coating and internal starchy cell structure that is damaged by ice crystals and then dumped into hot oil means a crackling good drama that is rife with danger and the chance of personal harm. A ridiculously oversized pot is used for protection against oil bubbling over onto the burner. But that still leaves the hazard of spilling and for that I can only say to turn in your handles and don't be such a klutz around hot oil.
