Mader's Restaurant Sauerbraten

3 cups red wine vinegar
2 cups cold water
1 medium onion, diced in large pieces
2 tablespoons pickling spice
1/4 cup salt
1 carrot, sliced
4 pounds beef sirloin roast
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 to 1/2 pound gingersnaps (depending on thickness desired)

Mix vinegar, water, onion, pickling spice, salt and carrot in bowl. Pickle meat in this brine in refrigerator seven days, turning occasionally.

When ready to cook, remove meat from brine. Save brine to make gravy later.

Roast meat in roasting pan, uncovered, in 325-degree oven 1 1/2 hours or until brown on both sides and almost done.

Sprinkle brown sugar over meat and roast 5 to 10 minutes more, turning meat while roasting, until sugar is dissolved and meat is browned.

In medium-size saucepan, combine half of brine the meat was pickled in and any drippings from roasting meat. To this mixture, add gingersnaps and cook until thick and dissolved. Serve over sliced meat and dumplings. Makes about 8 servings.

Mader's Restaurant Kartoffelklosse (Dumplings)

4 to 5 Idaho potatoes, washed (unpeeled)
1 to 1 1/2 cups flour (divided)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
White pepper to taste
1 tablespoon finely diced onion
2 teaspoons dried marjoram
2 teaspoons chopped chives

Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender to fork tines, then drain and cool. Refrigerate overnight. Next day, peel and grate potatoes. Add1 cup of flour, eggs, salt, pepper, onion, marjoram and chives. Blend with wooden spoon.

Add enough of remaining half-cup flour to form dumpling mixture that will hold together, making balls about size of an egg.

Place dumplings in boiling water to cover. Return water to full boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cook 25 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through and float to top of pot. Makes about 8 servings.