Start with a 5 or 6 pound piece of bottom round or rump roast, a full day before you expect to feast on your sauerbraten. Trim excess fat from meat and save. Wipe meat with a damp cloth and rub it with about 1 tablespoon seasoned salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Then I cut a clove of garlic in slivers and insert them into the roast with a sharp knife.

Put the meat in an earthenware bowl and cover it with slices of medium-sized onion. Make a marinade by combining a quart of water with a cup of vinegar, 2 slices seeded lemon, 4 peppercorns, 1 bay leaf and 2 whole cloves. Bring to a boil and pour over the meat. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for about 24 hours.

Next day, cook 2 onions, coarsely chopped in 2 tablespoons of the beef fat in a skillet. Remove the roast from the marinade and set aside about 1 cup of the marinade. Then rub the roast lightly with about 2 tablespoons flour and sear it to a light brown on all sides in 3 tablespoons of the beef fat in an old- fashioned Dutch oven.

Add the cooked onion, along with 2 tablespoons canned tomatoes, 1 small carrot, finely chopped, 2 tablespoons of the marinade, a dash of paprika, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Cover the pot tightly and put in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

When the meat is done, remove it to a heated platter. Taste the sauce for seasoning and thicken it with 6 small gingersnaps which have been crumbled and blended into 1/3 cup sour cream and 3/4 cup of the reserved marinade.

Use a couple of tablespoons of catsup if you don't have tomatoes.

Watch carefully after a couple of hours in the oven. If it is getting dry, add a little more of the marinade.

Serve with potato pancakes, red cabbage and applesauce.