Smoked Sausage and Sauerkraut with Mashed Potatoes

I love my slow cooker! Another thing, besides the food chopper, I think everyone should have is a slow cooker. You will find a lot of my recipes that I use are with a slow cooker. Most of them can be modified to make on the stove top or in the oven. 
 
Ingredients

• 16 ounces sauerkraut, bag or can
• 1 pound smoked sausage
• 2 cooking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 2/3 cup beer (anything you have around will work)

• 5 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup cream cheese
• 1 cup milk

Directions
For Sausage and Sauerkraut

1. Rinse sauerkraut; drain and squeeze dry. 
2. Place half of the sauerkraut in a slow cooker.
3. Cut sausage into 2-inch lengths. Place in slow cooker. 
4. Continue to layer in slow cooker, apples, brown sugar, salt, and pepper, sprinkling with caraway seeds. 
5. Top with remaining sauerkraut. Add beer. Do not stir mixture.
6. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 3-1/2 hours or on low for 6 to 7 hours, or until apples are tender. 
7. Stir before serving.

Mashed Potatoes

1. Place potatoes in pot covered with salted water.
2. Boil for 15-20 minutes, or until tender all the way through.
3. Drain the water from the potatoes.
4. Add garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, pepper and butter.
5. Begin mashing potatoes while adding cream cheese and milk.
6. Serve HOT!