Swedish Potato and Beef Sausage with Roasted Beets and Sour Cream
Partially cooking the potato and chilling it before grating serves two purposes: the potato gets thoroughly cooked within the sausage mix, which it won’t if it is added raw, and the sausage doesn’t turn out soft and mushy, which it will if the potato is cooked and mashed first. I prefer to get a jump start on this dish by preparing the potato a day ahead and chilling it overnight. But if you’re in a rush, several hours will do the trick, in which case, use the freezer to hasten the chilling. Rather than the standard Swedish accompaniment of mashed potatoes, I serve the sausage with a side of colorful, almost candylike roasted beets topped with sour cream.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Sausage
Beets
Preparation
Step 1
To make the sausage, peel the potato, cut it in half crosswise. Place the halves in a medium pot, add water to cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook briskly until a fork can pierce through the outside but meets resistance at the center, about 8 minutes. Drain, cool, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.
Step 2
Grate the potato on the large holes of a box grater and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the beef, salt pork, onion, allspice, pepper, and cream, and knead with you hands until thoroughly blended. Cook and taste a small sample, then add salt if needed. Stuff into hog casing or form into 1/4-inch-thick patties. Use right away, or cover and refrigerate for up to overnight.
Step 3
To prepare the beets, preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the unpeeled beets in a baking dish large enough to hold them in a single loose layer and add the oil and a splash of water. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until tender, about 45 minutes for baby beets and about 1 hour for medium beets. Remove from the oven and let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel the beets while they are still warm and cut into halves, quarters, or wedges about 3/4 inch wide, depending on their size. Place in a medium bowl, add the vinegar, and toss to coat. Set aside.
Step 4
To cook the sausage, melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add as many links or patties as will fit without crowding and cook, turning once or twice, until slightly golden and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a platter. If necessary, continue with another round, adding more butter to the pan as needed.
Step 5
To serve, garnish the beets with a few dollops of sour cream and serve alongside the sausage. Pass the remaining sour cream in a bowl at the table.
