Ingredients
To grill
- 4andouillettes, bought — look for the AAAAA mark
- 1 tbspneutral oil
Mustard sauce
- 1shallot, chopped fine
- 150 mldry white wine
- 200 mldouble cream
- 2 tbspDijon mustard
- 1 tbspwholegrain mustard
- black pepper
To serve
- chips, or gratin dauphinois
- more Dijon on the side
Directions
- Buy them from a butcher or a good charcutier — cleaning chitterlings is days of work and a trade skill, and the AAAAA mark tells you they were made from whole cut strands rather than a paste.
- Prick each andouillette three or four times with a fork. They are already cooked through, but the skin traps steam and will split messily if it cannot escape.
- Brush lightly with oil and grill or pan-fry over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every few minutes, until the skin is deeply browned and blistered all over. Keep the heat moderate — high heat blackens the skin and leaves the middle cold.
- While they cook, soften the shallot in a small pan, add the wine and boil until reduced by two-thirds.
- Stir in the cream and simmer two minutes, then take off the heat and whisk in both mustards. Adding mustard off the heat is what keeps it sharp; boiled, it turns dull and bitter.
- Season the sauce with pepper — it will not need salt.
- Serve the andouillettes hot with the sauce spooned over or alongside, with chips and more mustard.
Technique
- Prick before cooking, not after. A sealed andouillette bursts and empties into the pan.
- Moderate heat and patience. Twenty minutes is right; ten gives a charred skin and a lukewarm middle.
- The smell is the point and it is strong. This is not a fault of your cooking.
Substitutions
- Andouille, its larger smoked cousin, which is usually eaten cold in slices instead.
- Crème fraîche for the double cream, which is more French and slightly tangier.
- A cider and mustard sauce, which is how Normandy serves it.
Variations
- Baked at 200°C (400°F) for 25 minutes, which is easier for four at once.
- Split lengthwise and grilled cut-side down, which crisps more surface.
History
A sausage made from pork intestine and stomach, coarsely chopped and seasoned, then encased and typically grilled, documented in French cooking, particularly associated with the towns of Troyes and Lyon, each maintaining their own particular style and strong regional pride around their specific version. Its distinctive strong smell and flavour, coming directly from its intestinal ingredients, make andouillette a genuinely polarizing dish even within France, sufficiently divisive that a French association exists specifically to certify and guarantee the quality of true andouillette, protecting the reputation of well-made versions against the poor-quality examples that have given the sausage a difficult reputation among some diners unfamiliar with or averse to its intense character. It remains a traditional, if genuinely acquired-taste, French charcuterie item.
Frequently asked questions
What is Andouillette?
Andouillette is a charcuterie & cured from France: coarse tripe sausage, grilled and served with mustard; powerfully pungent. A sausage made from pork intestine and stomach, coarsely chopped and seasoned, then encased and typically grilled, documented in French cooking, particularly associated with the towns of Troyes and Lyon, each maintaining their own particular style and strong regional pride around their specific version. Its distinctive strong smell and flavour, coming directly from its intestinal ingredients, make andouillette a genuinely polarizing dish even within France, sufficiently divisive that a French association exists specifically to certify and guarantee the quality of true andouillette, protecting the reputation of well-made versions against the poor-quality examples that have given the sausage a difficult reputation among some diners unfamiliar with or averse to its intense character. It remains a traditional, if genuinely acquired-taste, French charcuterie item.
How long does Andouillette take to make?
Andouillette takes 10 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Andouillette?
Yes, within limits. Andouille, its larger smoked cousin, which is usually eaten cold in slices instead. Crème fraîche for the double cream, which is more French and slightly tangier. A cider and mustard sauce, which is how Normandy serves it.
What is the most important thing to get right in Andouillette?
Buy them from a butcher or a good charcutier — cleaning chitterlings is days of work and a trade skill, and the AAAAA mark tells you they were made from whole cut strands rather than a paste.
