A schlemmertope? No,  that isn't just a finger spasm that caused me to grossly misspell another word. A schlemmertope is a German clay baking contraption, similar to a Dutch oven, that allows you to slow cook and steam food in the oven. I had the pleasure of playing with a Schlemmertope in my German friends kitchen the other night, when we decided to make our 2nd Annual German Christmas for a group of friends.



A few years ago the tradition of German Christmas was born, when my German friend was missing home and the cooking traditions of her childhood. I thought the first adventure in German food was a hoot, when we set off the smoke detector. However, this second journey did not disappoint, as it was complete with getting the lid of the schlemmertope stuck, a visit from a coyote on the patio and very educational and lively discussion about men, marriage and life.

For the second annual dinner, we decided to make some German comfort food and let me just say I fell in love with the Schlemmertope because it is easy, cozy, low maintenance and looks impressive.

To begin with, soak the top of the schlemmertope in water. This helps with the steaming process once it is in the oven.





Next layer the ingredients of the meal in the dish. This can be used to cook just about anything, however we decided to roast vegetables and chicken. I would love to share the actual recipe with you, however it is in German and I can't tell you what it says at all, so this is my interpretation.



We did a layer of onions, we used 4 of them, that we cut into quarters. We also added 6 Roma tomatoes, that we also quartered. And 6-10 Yukon gold potatoes,the small ones, that we cut in half. We tossed the veggies in salt, pepper and paprika. However, you could easily add some fresh herbs, other veggies like red peppers or cauliflower or artichokes, and it would all cook beautifully.



On the top of the veggies, we layered boneless, skinless chicken thighs, that were also seasoned in salt, pepper and paprika.

Place the top on the schlemmertope and place it in the oven, on the lowest rack. One of the things to make note of is the fact that you always want to put a schlemmertope in a cold oven, as this eliminates the possibility of cracking the clay, which is never a good thing.

Cook the chicken and veggie mixture in the oven for 2 hours in a 395 degree oven. Ok to be exact the exact oven temperature is 392 degrees as it was translated from German into English, however we were crazy and rounded up to 395.


And that is it. The chicken was cooked perfectly, it was tender, juicy and fell apart on the fork. The veggies were steamed to perfection and there was a broth that was created at the base of the schlemmertope from the cooking process that was awesome spooned on the veggies or the chicken. 

This is a perfect dish for entertaining as it looks exciting and original, doesn't require you to be lost in the kitchen while your guests meander around your house and it is the perfect conversation piece. Our 2nd Annual German Friend Christmas was a true success, starting with mimosas while we prepped, German language lessons on how to say Santa in German (aka. Weihnachtsmann) and a lot of laughter, good wine and friendship. We truly embraced the spirit and traditions that embody Christmas, sharing and being grateful for what is truly important-health, friendship, joy and love. Merry Christmas!