Sauer Times (Mike's Sorta Sauerbraten)

There's nothing quite like finishing a major school project and soothing the aching eyeballs with a big honkin' dish of comfort food. In this case, my take on a slow-cooker recipe for sauerbraten. Mmm...beef in thick, vinegary gravy over noodles. What's not to love?

• 3 lb rump roast, trimmed of excess fat
• 2 onions, sliced
• 3 sticks celery, sliced
• 5-6 whole cloves garlic
• 1 tart apple, cored, peeled, and sliced
• 1 c. dry rose wine (or 3/4 c. white wine and 1/4 c. red wine)
• 2 tbsp. malt vinegar
• 3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1 1/2 tbsp. salt (or to taste)
• 1 tsp. ground pepper (or to taste)
• 1 c. gingersnap cookies, broken into large chunks
• egg noodles

Put everything but gingersnaps in a large ziploc bag. Marinate in the fridge overnight. Before leaving for work, dump everything (except the gingersnaps) into a slow cooker. Cook on low for 10-12 hours.

About a half hour before serving, remove the beef from the slow cooker and place on a cutting board. Increase the heat to high and toss the gingersnaps into the liquid. Make your noodles. When the noodles are almost done, take an immersion blender and pulverize the heck out of the stuff that's still in the slow cooker. Slice your beef into thick chunks and add to the slow cooker to reheat.

Serve over noodles. Eat with a contented smile on your face and, if you've just finished a midterm, a couple of ibuprofen. Wine pairings are tough with this one because of all that yummy vinegar. A Riesling's probably your best choice, but if you want red wine, think Zinfandel/Primitivo.