I just saw this and wanted to add on to it! Maybe I can introduce some new food to you all. (hope no one minds me bumping an old post).
FYI normal veg accompniments are the same as England on the whole, carrots, sprouts, cabbage (but red cabbage with apple, i love it). You can obviously have mash, but if you want to be REALLY German about it, then you boil your potatoes, put them all onto your plate and mash them with your fork on the plate. Im used to making my mash with a masher, in a big pot, with onions and lots of butter etc.
Howeve as people have said, without a doubt my favourite German meal is Spätzle. I make a mean one, and its all about using butter and lots of good cheese. It is a special form of a pasta type product. No idea if you can buy it in England. You fry it with butter and onions and then add cheese and cream if you want. Its pretty fatty but wholesome.
Some other interesting recipes I know are Kohlrouladen. Which is a sausage/vege sausage wrapped up in Kohl which is a form of green cabbage, sort of like a pig in a blanket but entirely covered. You tie string around it and steam it (I think). My ex's gran always used to make it for me and it was banging! I just looked and there are some good recipes on the net for it.
If anyone wants to use Saurkraut, I have an excellent recipe for Saurkraut lasagne. It is literally the tastiest thing on the planet, however not so traditional. But all in all people dont eat Saurkraut anymore unless they are over 40. If they do it is with boiled potatoes and sauages.
Flammkuchen is a form of German pizza on a very thin and light base. I dont think its made from dough but something else. You traditionally add a layer of creme freche, spring onions and ham.
A normal potatoe meal is something called Bratkartoffel. This is potatoes chopped into cubes, fried off untill nice and crispy, mixed with onions, eggs and ham if you want. A simple one pan meal.
For all of you meat lovers out there, there are 2 things you have to try. These are both normally eaten at breakfast or lunch with bread. The frst is Fleischsalat (meat salad) and it is strips of ham in a mayo type sauce, gurken and other things. It really was good when i tried it before being vege. You just have it on bread. I deffo had never seen this in the UK before.
Another meat food is called Mettwurst. This is some sort of meat, pork or beef mince im not sure, and it is in a sausage skin. You dice a white onion, emtpy some mince meat out of the skin onto your bread, add the onions and top with lots of pepper and salt. It is very traditional and again, was very good when i had it years ago.
And as the OP stated....sausages. But there isnt much to that really!
