Father's Day is just around the corner. My Dad and Mom would always love when I invited them over for dinner. This year, how about taking Dad on an eating adventure? If he's a meat-and-potatoes guy, German sauerbraten is the perfect option. The best way to cook this dish is in a slow cooker (such as a Crock-Pot). If you set up everything in the morning, the slow cooker will do all the work. All you have to do is fix a salad and boil some egg noodles and you'll be set for dinner.

Sauerbraten comes from the German words sauer (sour) and braten (roast meat). This roast comes from the Rhineland, Saarland, Silesia and Swabia. What distinguishes Rhineland's sauerbraten from that of the other regions is the use of raisins and gingerbread, producing a sweet, slightly spicy roast. Traditionally, tougher cuts of meat — even horse meat! — were used to make sauerbraten.

This recipe calls for pickling spice — a blend of cinnamon, mustard seed, allspice, dill seed, ginger, peppercorns, cloves, juniper berries, mace, dried ginger, coriander seeds and bay leaves. For a spicier flavor, dried hot red peppers are sometimes added. You can find pickling spice in the spice sections of most supermarkets, or you can get them, as I did, at The Compleat Kitchen.

SAUERBRATEN IN A CROCK-POT