 |
Potato Sausage
Making Potato Sausage is an Oien family tradition passed down by generations of Nordic Ancestors. Here Kathy and Lou are stuffing the casings. (These rascals are difficult to obtain, so unless you live in Upper Michigan, start looking early) |
|
|
Potato Sausage 15 # potatoes (ground) Possible
additions to the old family recipe: Anyway, roll up your sleeves and mix this concoction well in a big ol’ bowl. Stuff it into rinsed casings of approximately 18-24 inch length. Use a cow’s horn, an angel-food cake pan center, or the professional quality handy dandy sausage stuffing attachment that came with your food processor. (Whatever…… just have fun. This is the part of the job where you must pour yourself a beer, and chat with the spectators, swapping jokes and lies.) Leave about an inch empty on each end. (no need to tie the ends.) Put the first few into a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Simmer for an hour or maybe a little less. (You can finish them in the oven on a cookie sheet for a few minutes to make ‘em look prettier if you have squeamish company.) Set the table, and put on milk, ketchup, and a salad. (candles are a nice touch too) It’s time to enlist any onlookers who haven’t yet lent a hand, for the unenviable cleanup task. "NO" is not an acceptable response to your request. The remaining sausage is put into cold water until you’re done stuffing. Then put two or three rings each into zippered freezer bags. Take them down to the basement and lay them flat in the freezer. What? ……. Wherever!…… Next time you come home from work, dog tired and lonely and can’t think of what to have for dinner, maybe a little light bulb will appear over your head and a voice will say: "GOOOOO DOOOOWWN TO THE FREEEEEEEEEZER AND GET SOME POTAAAAATO SAAAAAUSAGE" Then you’ll start a kettle of salted water, drop in some frozen sausage, bring to a boil and turn the heat down. Kick off your shoes and "become one with the couch" ‘til the timer goes off in an hour. ………..strange, eh? April 2, 2001 batch was pretty good without the milk and nutmeg ………….. Kathy’s note: You bettcha! When Mom and I made this recipe at Christmas, we left out the Nutmeg and the milk and it was delicious...so go figure ey?
Lou supplied the venison which he ground using the traditional family potato sausage meat grinder. (If a deer hits your car, call Lou immediately.) Oh, and you need to find a traditional wooden table, preferably green. Look in the basement. For whatever reason, Grandma doesn't want the meat grinder clamped to her Ethan Allan table. "you're welcome" Varsågod
Photos taken at Grandma Oien's house in Marquette, Michigan - April 2001 |
 Grandma Oien and Ray peeled 15 pounds of potatoes and quite a few onions.
Jan debates whether to add 4 tsp. or 4 tbsp. of pepper. That's the trouble with those family recipes written in Norwegian. They can be so vague.
Barb did actually do something besides take pictures & make web pages. She ran water through the authentic BEEF casings. Pig casings are too small. Cool. Like one big long water balloon. (Barb seldom cooks)
Stuff the sausage mixture into rinsed casings of approximately 18-24 inch length. Use a cow’s horn, an angel-food cake pan center, or the professional quality handy dandy sausage stuffing attachment that came with your food processor.
A handy 'stuffer' can be made from a 1.5 liter plastic liquor bottle. Cut it into a scoop shape with heavy scissors. You may remove the threads to conceal its origin. ... Smooth the rough edges.
Meanwhile, Susan entertained Lilli and Waffle in the living room. Notice Grandma's new chair. There is a matching couch. Very comfortable. In the end, Susan was delighted with the potato sausage. It is right up there with pasties as Susan's favorite food. ...And you can count how many you have eaten by the discarded sausage casings by your plate. (No, we don't eat the casings.) Poor Lilli and Waffle. No potato sausage for them. And they weren't allowed on the new couch either. |
