Boudin noir

Ingredients

To fry

• 4boudin noir, bought
• 1 tbspbutter
• 1 tbspneutral oil

Apples

• 3firm apples, cored and cut in thick wedges
• 30 gbutter
• 1 tbspcaster sugar
• 1 tbspcider vinegar
• 1 sprigthyme

To serve

• mashed potato
• Dijon mustard

Directions

1. Buy the boudin from a butcher. It is already cooked — everything here is about heating it through and crisping the skin without splitting it.
2. Melt the 30 g of butter in a pan and cook the apple wedges over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning once, until golden at the edges but still holding their shape.
3. Sprinkle over the sugar, let it caramelise for a minute, then add the vinegar and thyme and toss. Take off the heat and keep warm.
4. Prick each boudin two or three times, or leave them whole and handle them very gently — the casing is thin and the filling is soft, and either approach works so long as you are not rough with them.
5. Heat the butter and oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat and lay the boudin in. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning carefully with two spoons rather than tongs, until the skin is crisp and dark and they are hot through.
6. Keep the heat low. This is the whole difficulty: boudin noir bursts and bleeds into the pan the moment the outside gets ahead of the inside, and a hot pan guarantees it.
7. Serve on mashed potato with the caramelised apples piled alongside and mustard on the side.

Technique

• Medium-low, ten minutes, gentle turning. Every burst boudin is one that met a hot pan.
• Two spoons rather than tongs. Tongs pinch through the casing.
• If one does split, take it out at once — the filling burns onto the pan and taints the rest.

Substitutions

• Pears in place of apples, which suit it well.
• Black pudding, morcilla or blutwurst, all cooked the same way.
• A splash of Calvados in place of the vinegar, flamed off, for the Normandy version.

Variations

• Baked at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes, which is gentler and harder to get wrong.
• Removed from the casing and crumbled into a pan, which sidesteps the bursting problem entirely.

History

A dish of the winter pig killing; Mortagne-au-Perche in Normandy has held an international boudin noir fair every year since 1963.

Frequently asked questions

What is Boudin noir?

Boudin noir is a charcuterie & cured from France: blood sausage fried and served with apples or mashed potato. A dish of the winter pig killing; Mortagne-au-Perche in Normandy has held an international boudin noir fair every year since 1963.

How long does Boudin noir take to make?

Boudin noir takes 15 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Boudin noir?

Yes, within limits. Pears in place of apples, which suit it well. Black pudding, morcilla or blutwurst, all cooked the same way. A splash of Calvados in place of the vinegar, flamed off, for the Normandy version.

What is the most important thing to get right in Boudin noir?

Heat the butter and oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat and lay the boudin in. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning carefully with two spoons rather than tongs, until the skin is crisp and dark and they are hot through.